Deformation behavior of Zr3Al-Nb alloys II: Indentation creep studies

Abstract

The high-temperature mechanical properties of Zr3Al, Zr3Al-3Nb, and Zr3Al-10Nb alloys were assessed using the indentation hardness method. All three alloys showed negligible creep up to 500 K. Using Sargent and Ashby's approach, different creep parameters such as stress exponent, activation energy, and activation area were estimated. Using the data generated in the present study and those available in the literature, a deformation creep curve was developed. The relationship between hardness and temperature in the high-temperature region can be expressed in terms of an Arrhenious equation. The activation energy estimated from this relationship was found to be in good agreement with that obtained from the indentation creep curve. On comparing the creep behavior of Zr3Al-Nb alloys with some other intermetallics, it was observed that Zr3Al-based intermetallics have better creep resistance compared to other intemetallics.