Phase partitioning in a novel near equi-atomic AlCuFeMn alloy

A novel low cost, near equi-atomic alloy comprising of Al, Cu, Fe and Mn is synthesized using arc-melting technique. The cast alloy possesses a dendritic microstructure where the dendrites consist of disordered FCC and ordered FCC phases. The inter-dendritic region is comprised of ordered FCC phase and spinodally decomposed BCC phases. A Cu segregation is observed in the inter-dendritic region while dendritic region is rich in Fe. The bulk hardness of the alloy is ~ 380 HV, indicating significant yield strength.