A recently developed powder metallurgy processing technique -Electric Current Activated (Assisted) Sintering (ECAS) was employed to produce intermetallic Nb-NbAl3 composites. In this study, to produce Nb-NbAl3 in-situ intermetallic composites, Nb (99.8 % purity, less than 44 μm) and Al (99.5 % purity, less than 44 μm) elemental powders were mixed in the stoichiometric ratio corresponding to the Nb-Al phase diagram. The effect of different processing times, for (10, 30, 60) s, under maximum of 2000 A and 1.5-2.0 V, was investigated. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis were used to characterize the produced samples. X-ray diffraction studies revealed that the dominant phases are NbAl3 and Nb. Scanning electron microscopy examinations showed a dense microstructure with a very low amount of porosity and also a trace amount of residual aluminium. The microhardness of the test materials sintered for 60 s via electric-current-activated sintering was about 405 HV±46 HV0,05. Keywords: in situ composites, NbAl 3 aluminides, electric current activated sintering (ECAS) Pred kratkim razvita tehnika v metalurgiji prahov: sintranje, aktivirano z elektri~nim tokom (ECAS), je bilo uporabljeno za in situ izdelavo intermetalnega kompozita Nb-NbAl3. V {tudiji sta bila za in situ proizvodnjo Nb-NbAl3 intermetalnega kompozita zme{ana elementna prahova Nb (99.8 %~istost, delci manj{i od 44 μm) in Al (99.5 %~istost, delci manj{i od 44 μm), zme{ana v stehiometri~nem razmerju, skladno s faznim diagramom Nb-Al. Preiskovan je bil vpliv razli~nih~asov izdelave: (10, 30, 60) s pri toku maksimalno 2000 A in napetosti 1,5-2,0 V. Izdelani vzorci so bili karakterizirani z vrsti~no elektronsko mikroskopijo in rentgensko difrakcijo. Rentgenska difrakcija je odkrila, da sta prevladujo~i fazi NbAl3 in Nb. Vrsti~na elektronska mikroskopija je pokazala gosto mikrostrukturo z majhnim dele`em poroznosti in sledovi preostalega aluminija. Mikrotrdota preizkusnega materiala, sintranega 60 s, s sintranjem aktiviranim z elektri~nim tokom, je bila okrog 405 HV±46 HV0,05. Klju~ne besede: in situ kompoziti, NbAl3 aluminidi, sintranje aktivirano z elektri~nim tokom (ECAS)
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