Phase coexistence in mechanicallly alloyed iron–manganese powders

Iron–manganese alloys with Mn concentration of 6–30 at.% were prepared by mechanical alloying. Structure and phase composition of the samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy. Mechanical alloying results in the formation of b.c.c. and f.c.c. solid solutions with high concentration of structure defects and refined grains. A single b.c.c. phase was observed in Fe–Mn alloys a Mn concentration less than ≤8 at.% and, for higher Mn contents, a mixture of b.c.c. and f.c.c. phases was observed. The main features of phase composition of as-prepared alloys consisted in significant widening of single phase concentration range.