The J-integral fracture toughness and tensile behavior of AL-6XN (ATI Properties Inc., Pittsburgh, PA, USA) plate material in the short-transverse (S-T) orientation was studied. The material was tested with respect to the presence or absence of microstructural ÔpacketsÕ of brittle sigma phase (r-phase) particles within the austenite matrix, located near the centerline of the plate. The J-integral-fracture resistance curve (J-R-curve) qualitatively indicated that the presence of the r-phase packets is a detriment to the fracture toughness of the material in the S-T orientation. Tensile specimens containing the packets of r-phase particles exhibited reduced yield and tensile strengths as well as pronounced reduction in ductility compared to specimens nominally free of r-phase packets. Particle cracking was observed within the r-phase packets, which lead to premature fracture. This limited the ability of the material to plastically deform and work-harden, thereby accounting for the observed reductions in ductility, toughness, and ultimate tensile strength.

The influence of Ti and C on the solidification microstructure of Fe-10Al-5Cr (all composition values in weight percent) alloys was examined with solidification modeling and a variety of experimental techniques. Several Fe-10Al-5Cr-Ti-C alloys were fabricated using the arc button melting process and characterized using quantitative image analysis and electron microscopy techniques. The experimental alloys exhibited primary ferrite dendrites with an interdendritic ferrite/TiC eutectic constituent, and the amount of eutectic was affected by the Ti and C concentrations. A liquidus projection and primary solidification paths were calculated for the Fe-10Al-5Cr-Ti-C system in order to estimate the amount of TiC that is expected to form during solidification. The range in the calculated amount of TiC-containing eutectic matched the experimentally measured values reasonably well. The ability to control the amount of TiC that forms during solidification of an Fe-10Al-5Cr-Ti-C-based alloy shows promise for developing corrosion-resistant weld overlay claddings with resistance to hydrogen cracking.