Microstructure and Compression Properties of VSS‑V3B2 Eutectic Alloys in the V-Si-B System.

The present study reports on the microstructural evolution and room temperature plasticity of V(‑Si)‑B alloys with respect to the V solid solution (VSS)‑V3B2 phase region. To investigate the occurring effects systematically, different binary V‑B and ternary V‑Si‑B alloys were produced by conventional arc melting. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements were used to characterize the resulting as-cast microstructures. For the first time, the eutectic composition was systematically traced from the binary V‑B domain to the ternary V‑Si‑B system. The observations discover that the binary eutectic trough (VSS‑V3B2) seems to reach into the ternary system up to an alloy composition of V‑5Si‑9B. Room temperature compression tests were carried out in order to study the impact of single-phase and multi-phase microstructures on the strength and plasticity of binary and ternary alloys. The results indicate that the VSS phase controls the plastic deformability in the VSS‑V3B2 eutectic microstructure whereas the intermetallic V3B2 acts as a strong hardening phase.