Development and characterization of a two-phase cerium yttrium alloy: Effect of heat treatment and composition on microstructure in Ce–Y alloys

A two-phase cerium yttrium alloy was developed to understand the effect of varying phase fraction on quasi-static and dynamic properties in comparison to unalloyed cerium. The goal of the current work is to discuss the processing pathway as related to the resulting microstructure and phase fraction and eventually to material properties. Test samples are characterized using a combination of metallography, X-ray diffraction, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP AES) to identify the influence of the two process variables, heat treatment and starting composition, on microstructure and final phase composition. Through the study, the team developed a process to reproducibly fabricate a two-phase cerium-yttrium alloy with a composition of 5.75 and 6.5 wt percent yttrium heat treated to 450 °C to be mechanically and dynamically tested in future work.