MAGNETOTHERMAL INVESTIGATION OF THE KINETICS OF DEFECT REACTION IN THE FEAL INTERMETALLIC COMPOUND

The kinetics of the formation and of the annealing-out of Fe antistructure atoms in the FeAl intermetallic compound have been investigated by magnetothermal analysis. The annealing-out depends appreciably on the quenching temperature; at approximately 850-degrees-C a transition from one defect type to another is obeyed. Quenching temperatures below 850-degrees-C result in a late recovery, whereas quenching temperatures above 850-degrees-C yield an earlier recovery. This behaviour is explained by assuming that triple defects dominate at low temperatures and that additional pairs of vacancies are formed above 850-degrees-C. The kinetic parameters of the annealing-out of defects, as migration enthalpy and reaction order, have been determined.