Use of Recycled Steel Machining Chips and Aluminum Can Shreds for Synthesizing Iron Aluminide Intermetallic Alloys

Abstract

Some iron aluminide intermetallic alloys based on Fe 3 Al or FeAl have been synthesized from recycled raw materials of steel machining chips and aluminum can shreds. The former was an industrial waste made at a bearing case maker, and it had a spiral shape and a length less than 1 mm and contained 0.87 wt% C, 0.21 wt% Si, 1.53 wt% Cr with some other minor elements. The latter, on the other hand, was made by shredding used aluminum cans, and it had a flaky shape and a edge length of 2 to 3 mm and contained 2.3 wt% Mg, 0.36 wt% Fe, 0.88 wt% Mn with some other minor elements. When compacts of the steel and aluminum mixture were heated in a crucible in an argon atmosphere, they exothermically reacted and produced iron aluminide intermetallic alloys. For comparison, similar alloys were produced from pure iron and aluminum by melting them in the same heating apparatus. The bending strength, fracture toughness, Vickers hardness and wear resistance of the alloys synthesized from the recycled raw materials were more excellent than or similar to those of the alloys produced from pure iron and aluminum.