Short-range order in “disordered” aluminum solid solutions in $\alpha$-iron

The atomic structure of soft magnetic iron-aluminum alloys is studied by X-ray diffraction and nuclear gamma- resonance spectroscopy. The concentration dependence of the body-centered cubic lattice constant and the short- range order (SRO) parameters in the region of a disordered solid solution is monitored. It is shown that in the concentration range from 3 to 18 at.% Al, the lattice constant increases almost linearly. Discrete decomposition of nuclear gamma resonance spectra makes it possible to determine such SRO parameters as the relative fractions of contributions from coordinations without Al atoms and with one, two, and three Al atoms in the first and second coordination shells. The deviation of the values of these fractions from the average statistical probabilities indicates the presence of a chemical order in the arrangement of atoms. The largest deviations are observed at 12 and 15 at.% Al. Conditions of preliminary heat treatment, such as quenching from the paramagnetic state and holding in the ferromagnetic state, give very similar values of the SRO parameters. The method is characterized by a high resolution in the hyperfine field, while having a rather high sensitivity for determining the intensity of individual contributions.