Single crystal elastic constants of the MAX phase Ti3AlC 2 determined by neutron diffraction

Abstract

The ternary ceramic Ti3AlC2 has an interesting combination of electrical, thermal and mechanical properties. Single crystal elastic constants under the Reuss approximation for the micromechanical state were obtained by analysing the shifts of neutron diffraction peaks while a polycrystalline sample was subjected to a compressive load varying from 5 to 300 MPa. The values of Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio computed from the single crystal compliances are in good agreement with those obtained directly from strain gauges and from the average changes in the a and c unit cell parameters.