Abstract
Microstructure and morphology of precipitates in $Ni_3Al$- and TiAl-based intermetallics containing carbon have been investigated in terms of transmission electron microscopy(TEM). In an $L1_2$-ordered $Ni_3Al$ alloy with 4 mol.% of chromium and 0.2~3.0 mol.% of carbon, fine octahedral precipitates of $M_{23}C_6$ type carbide were formed in the matrix by aging at temperatures around 973 K after solution annealing at 1423 K. TEM examination revealed that the $M_{23}C_6$ phase and the matrix lattices have a cube-cube orientation relationship and keep partial atomic matching at the {111} interface. After prolonged aging or by aging at higher temperatures, the $M_{23}C_6$ precipitates then adopt a rod-like morphology elongated parallel to the <100> directions. In the $L1_0$-ordered TiAl containing 0.1~2.0 mol.% carbon, TEM observations revealed that needle-like precipitates, which lie only in one direction parallel to the [001] axis of the $L1_0$ matrix, appear in the matrix and preferentially at dislocations. Selected area electron diffraction(SAED) patterns analyses have shown that the needle-shaped precipitate is $Ti_3AlC$ of perovskite type. The orientation relationship between the $Ti_3AlC$ and the $L1_0$ matrix is found to be $(001)_{Ti3AlC}//(001)_{L10\;matrix}$ and $[010]_{Ti3AlC}//[010]_{L10\;matrix}$. By aging at higher temperatures or for longer period at 1073 K, plate-like precipitates of $Ti_2AlC$ with a hexagonal structure are formed on the {111} planes of the $L1_0$ matrix. The orientation relationship between the $Ti_2AlC$ and the $L1_0$ matrix is $(0001)_{Ti2AlC}//(111)_{L10\;matrix}$ and $_{Ti2AlC}//_{L10\;matrix}$.
