Fatigue of Aluminides and Silicides

Abstract

The fatigue resistance of two major classes of intermetallics, aluminides and silicides, are reviewed in this paper. High cycle fatigue (HCF) and fatigue crack growth (FCG) behavior are emphasized, as both are determined in most cases under stress control. Major experimental variables are composition, microstructure, temperature, state of order, mean stress (or R ratio) and test environment. Results of work on aluminides of titanium, nickel, iron and niobium aluminides are described. Methods to improve stress-controlled fatigue resistance of these alloy systems are reviewed.