Effect of heat treatment on mechanical properties of FeMnAlC alloys

FeMnAlC alloys exhibit an attractive strength/ductility combination, low density and some of them show good oxidation behavior at high temperatures. In this paper the effect of a solubilization treatment at 1030 °C followed by aging at 550 °C on the mechanical properties of two alloys belonging to this system, has been evaluated. The results of the investigation revealed that the steel characterized by the higher quantity of Mn and Al shows, after heat treatment, the formation of intermetallic phases that make the alloy very brittle. Considering the obtained results, it is evident that optimizing the alloy chemical composition is of paramount importance to guarantee a high fracture toughness if the steel works for limited time intervals at high temperature.