Calculations of elastic and thermal properties of the strengthening C14 Fe6Nb4Al2 Laves phase using the density functional theory

Abstract

Compounds with structures of the Laves phase type, which are precipitated in the matrix of steels or superalloys as a result of the work of the product at high temperatures, are usually considered useful strengthening phases, whose elastic and thermal properties are of considerable interest. In our work, the coefficients of the elastic tensor of the C14 \(\hbox {Fe}_6\hbox {Nb}_4\hbox {Al}_2\) Laves phase were calculated. The calculations were obtained using the density functional theory. Such elastic characteristics as the bulk modulus of elasticity, shear moduli, Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio, as well as thermal properties like sound wave velocities and Debye temperature, were obtained. The factors influencing the anisotropy of the elastic properties of \(\hbox {Fe}_6\hbox {Nb}_4\hbox {Al}_2\) were calculated.