Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 February 2011
An investigation of how microstructural features affect the fracture and fatigue properties of a promising class of high temperature Mo-Si-B based alloys is presented. Fracture toughness and fatigue-crack growth properties are measured at 25° and 1300°C for five Mo-Mo3Si-Mo5SiB2 containing alloys produced by powder metallurgy with α-Mo matrices. Results are compared with previous studies on intermetallic-matrix microstructures in alloys with similar compositions. It is found that increasing the α-Mo phase volume fraction (17 – 49%) or ductility (by increasing the temperature) benefits the fracture resistance; in addition, α-Mo matrix materials show significant improvements over intermetallic-matrix alloys. Fatigue thresholds were also increased with increasing α-Mo phase content, until a transition to more ductile fatigue behavior occurred with large amounts of α-Mo phase (49%) and ductility (i.e., at 1300°C). The beneficial role of such microstructural variables are attributed to the promotion of the observed toughening mechanisms of crack trapping and bridging by the relatively ductile α-Mo phase.