Centimeter-sized Ti-based bulk metallic glass with high specific strength

Based on the quaternary Ti₄₁Zr₂₅Be₂₉Al₅ glassy alloy with a critical diameter of 7 mm reported not long ago, an obvious enhancement of glass-forming ability (GFA) has been realized in this alloy by the addition of Cu element. A series of (Ti₄₁Zr₂₅Be₂₉Al₅)_100?xCu_x (x=0, 2, 5, 7, 9, 11 at%) glassy alloys have been developed and some of them can be cast into one-centimeter diameter fully glassy rods by copper mold suction casting. It has been found that Cu addition could stabilize the liquid phase and suppress the crystallization, resulting in improvement of the GFA of the alloy. The addition of Cu also increases the compressive strength of the alloy and the (Ti₄₁Zr₂₅Be₂₉Al₅)₉₁Cu₉ glassy alloy possesses a specific strength (defined as yield strength/density) of 4.13×10⁵ Nm/kg, which is much higher than most other reported centimeter-sized bulk metallic glasses. The present result suggests that the newly developed (Ti₄₁Zr₂₅Be₂₉Al₅)₉₁Cu₉ glassy alloy is a good candidate for structural applications because of its good glass-forming ability and mechanical properties.     

Fabrication of bulk glassy Zr41Ti14Ni8Cu12.5Be22.5Fe2 alloy by water quenching

A glassy Zr₄₁Ti₁₄Ni₈Cu_12.5Be_22.5Fe₂ rod with a diameter of 9 mm was successfully produced by water quenching. The effects of iron addition on thermal stability and hardness of Zr₄₁Ti₁₄Ni₈Cu_12.5Be_22.5Fe₂ bulk amorphous alloy were investigated by XR D, DSC and microhardness test. It is found that the full annealing would enhance the strength of the alloy significantly. The cause of the increase in hardness was analyzed and the formation mechanisms of the bulk amorphous alloy are discussed.     

Effects of crystallization on corrosion behaviours of a Ni-based bulk metallic glass

The effects of microstructure change on the corrosion behaviours of Ni₅₅Nb₂₀Ti₁₀Zr₈Co₇ bulk glass-forming alloy were investigated in 1 mol/L HCl and 0.5 mol/L H₂SO₄ solutions. Different microstructures of the Ni-based alloy were achieved by annealing the bulk glassy rod prepared by copper mould casting. The microstructure, grain size, grain distribution, and phase composition were characterized. Electrochemical behaviours of the Ni-based alloy were revealed by static immersion and anodic potentiodynamic polarization tests. It is indicated that the corrosion behaviours of the Ni-based bulk glass-forming alloy are related to its microstructures, while the fully crystallized alloy exhibits a relatively lower corrosion resistance than those of the amorphous states.     

Effects of gravity field on glass forming ability in ZrTiCuNiBe alloy

The solidification and glass forming ability of Zr₄₁Ti₁₄Cu_12.5Ni₁₀Be_22.5 bulk glassy forming alloy is investigated by Bridgman unidirectional solidification at different growth velocities under different gravity field orientations. Large differences in glass formation, undercooling and crystallization morphology on different solidification conditions have been found and discussed from the point of view of gravity induced convection. The results are useful for understanding the nucleation and growth in the melt and glass formation mechanism in the alloy.     

Structure and corrosion resistance of Al–Cu–Fe alloys

The microstructure and electrochemical properties of Al–Cu–Fe alloys with the atomic compositions of Al_(65)Cu_(20)Fe_(15),Al_(78)Cu_7Fe_(15)and Al_(80)Cu_5Fe_(14)Si_1have been studied.The alloys were produced by induction melting of pure elements with copper mold casting.The microstructure of the alloys was analyzed by X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.The formation of quasicrystalline phases in the Al–Cu–Fe alloys was confirmed.The presence of intermetallic phases was observed in the alloys after crystallization in a form of ingots and plates.The electrochemical measurements were conducted in 3.5%NaCl solution.The electronic structure of the alloys was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.The post corrosion surface of the samples was checked using a scanning electron microscope equipped with the energydispersive X-ray detector.It was observed that the Al_(65)Cu_(20)Fe_(15)alloy had the highest corrosion resistance.The improved corrosion resistance parameters were noted for the plate samples rather than those in the as-cast state.And the hardness of the Al_(65)Cu_(20)Fe_(15)alloy was significantly higher than the other alloy samples.     

Synthesis,structure and mechanical properties of Zr-Cu-based bulk metallic glass composites

The unusual glass-forming ability (GFA) of the Zr₄₈Cu₃₆Ag₈Al₈ alloy and the high ductility of the Zr₄₈Cu₃₆Ag₈Al₈ metallic glass-matrix composites containing Ta powder were reported. The bulk metallic glass rod with a diameter of 25 mm was successfully synthesized using copper mold casting for the Zr₄₈Cu₃₆Ag₈Al₈ alloy. High GFA of this alloy was found to be related to a large supercooled liquid region and a quaternary eutectic point with low melting temperature. The bulk metallic glass matrix composites were prepared by introducing extra Ta particles into the Zr₄₈Cu₃₆Ag₈Al₈ melt. The composites consist of Ta particles homogenously distributed in the Zr₄₈Cu₃₆Al₈Ag₈ metallic glass matrix. The optimum content of Ta powder is 10at% for the composite with the highest plasticity, which shows a plastic strain of 31%.     

Limitation of the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami equation for the kinetic analysis of crystallization in a Ti-based amorphous alloy

The primary crystallization of the Ti₄₀Zr₂₅Ni₈Cu₉Be₁₈ amorphous alloy was studied by isochronal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The activation energy was determined by the Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose method. Trying to analyze the crystallization kinetics of the Ti₄₀Zr₂₅Ni₈Cu₉Be₁₈ amorphous alloy by two different methods, it was found that the crystallization kinetics did not obey the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami equation. A modified method in consideration of the impingement effect was proposed to perform kinetic analysis of the isochronal crystallization of this alloy. The kinetic parameters were then obtained by the linear fitting method based on the modified kinetic equation. The results show that the isochronal crystallization kinetics of the amorphous Ti₄₀Zr₂₅Ni₈Cu₉Be₁₈ alloy is heating rate dependent, and the discrepancy between the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami method and the modified method increases with the increase of heating rate.     

Influence of Cu content on the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of Mg-Zn-Ca bulk metallic glasses

(Mg_66.2Zn_28.8Ca₅)_100?xCu_x (at%, x = 0, 1, 3, and 5) bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) of 2 mm in diameter were prepared by the conventional copper mold injection casting method. Besides, the influence of Cu content on the microstructure, thermal stability, mechanical properties, and corrosion behavior of Mg-Zn-Ca BMGs was investigated. It is found that the addition of Cu decreases the glass-forming ability of Mg-Zn-Ca BMGs. Crystalline phases are precipitated at a higher Cu content, larger than 3at%. The compressive fracture strength of Mg-Zn-Ca BMGs is enhanced by the addition of Cu. With the formation of in-situ composites, the compressive strength of the Mg-Zn-Ca alloy with 3at% Cu reaches 979 MPa, which is the highest strength among the Mg-Zn-Ca alloys. Furthermore, the addition of Cu also results in the increase of corrosion potential and the decrease of corrosion current density in Mg-Zn-Ca BMGs, thereby delaying their biodegradability.     

Compositional dependence of thermal and elastic properties of Cu-Ti-Zr-Ni bulk metallic glasses

Starting from the quaternary Cu₄₇Ti₃₄Zr₁₁Ni₈ alloy, the compositional dependence of thermal and elastic properties of Cu-Ti-Zr-Ni alloys was systematically investigated. Quaternary Cu-Ti-Zr-Ni alloys can be cast directly from the melt into copper molds to form fully amorphous strips or rods with the thickness of 3–6 mm. The evidence of the amorphous nature of the cast rods was provided by X-ray spectra. The measured glass transition temperature (T_g) and crystallization temperature (T_x) were obtained for the alloys using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at the heating rate of 20 K/s. In the results, the differences between the glass temperature and the crystallization temperature (ΔT_x=T_x-T_g) are measured with values ranging up to 33–55 K. The reduced glass transition temperature (T_rg), which is the ratio of the glass temperature to the liquidus temperature (T_l), is often used as an indication of the glass-forming ability of metallic alloys. For the present Cu-Ti-Zr-Ni alloys, this ratio is typically in the range of 0.5838–0.5959, characteristic of metallic alloys with good glass-forming ability. The elastic constants for several selected alloys were measured using ultrasonic methods. The values of the elastic shear modulus, bulk modulus, and Poisson’s ratio were also given.     

Glass-forming ability,microhardness, corrosion resistance,and dealloying treatment of Mg60-xCu40Ndx alloy ribbons

The influence of Nd addition on the glass-forming ability (GFA), microhardness, and corrosion resistance of Mg_60-xCu₄₀Nd_x (x=5, 10, 15, 20, and 25, at%) alloys were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, Vickers-type hardness tests, and electrochemical methods. The results suggest that the GFA and microhardness of the amorphous alloys increase until the Nd content reaches 20at%. The corrosion potential and corrosion current density obtained from the Tafel curves indicate that the Mg₃₅Cu₄₀Nd₂₅ ternary alloy exhibits the best corrosion resistance among the investigated alloys. Notably, nanoporous copper (NPC) was synthesized through a single-step dealloying of Mg_60-xCu₄₀Nd_x (x=5, 10, 15, 20, and 25) ternary alloys in 0.04 mol·L-1 H₂SO₄ solution under free corrosion conditions. The influence of dealloying process parameters, such as dealloying time and temperature, on the microstructure of the ribbons was also studied using the surface diffusivity theory. The formation mechanism of dealloyed samples with a multilayered structure was also discussed.     

A Ti–Zr–Cu–Ni–Co–Fe–Al–Sn amorphous filler metal for improving the strength of Ti–6Al–4V alloy brazing joint

Ti_(50)Zr_(27)Cu_8Ni_4Co_3Fe_2Al_3Sn_3(at%) amorphous filler metal with low Cu and Ni contents in a melt-spun ribbon form was developed for improving mechanical properties of Ti–6Al–4V alloy brazing joint through decreasing brittle intermetallics in the braze zone. Investigation on the crystallization behavior of the multicomponent Ti–Zr–Cu–Ni–Co–Fe–Al–Sn amorphous alloy indicates the high stability of the supercooled liquid against crystallization that favors the formation of amorphous structure. The Ti–6Al–4V joint brazed with this Ti-based amorphous filler metal with low total content of Cu and Ni at 1203K for 900s mainly consists of α-Ti, β-Ti,minor Ti–Zr-rich phase and only a small amount of Ti_3Cu intermetallics, leading to the high shear strength of the joint of about 460 MPa. Multicomponent composition design of amorphous alloys is an effective way of tailoring filler metals for improving the joint strength.     

Preparation of Al-Cu-Fe-(Sn,Si) quasicrystalline bulks by laser multilayer cladding

(Al₆₅Cul₂₀Fe₁₅)_100-x Sn_x (x=0, 12, 20, 30) and Al₅₇Si₁₀Cu₁₈Fe₁₅ powders were cladded on a medium carbon steel (45# steel) substrate by laser multilayer cladding, respectively. The phases and properties of the produced quasicrystalline bulks were investigated. It was found that the main phases in the Al₆₅Cul₂₀Fe₁₅ sample were crystalline λ-Al₁₃Fe₄ and icosahedral quasicrystal together with a small volume fraction of θ-Al₂Cu phase. The volume fraction of icosahedral phase decreased as the Sn content in the (Al₆₅Cul₂₀Fe₁₅)_100-x Sn_x samples increased owing to the formation of β-CuSn phase. The increase of Sn content improved the brittleness of the quasicrystal samples. The morphology of the solidification microstructure in the Al₅₇Si₁₀Cu₁₈Fe₁₅ sample changed from elongated shape to spherical shape due to the addition of Si. The nanohardness of the laser multilayer cladded quasicrystal samples was equal to that of the as-cast sample prepared by vacuum quenching. In terms of hardness, the laser cladded Al₅₇Si₁₀Cu₁₈Fe₁₅ quasicrystalline alloy has the highest value among all the investigated samples.     

Effects of minor B additions on tensile strength,fracture toughness and oxidation resistance of Nb–Si based alloys

The effects of minor additions of B on microstructure, ambient tensile strength, fracture toughness and high-temperature oxidation resistance of Nb–Si based alloys were investigated. The added contents were designed as 0.05, 0.10 and 0.20 ?at.%. The results show constituent phases in 0.05B and 0.20B alloys were Nbss, α-Nb₅Si₃; while only 0.10B alloy consisted of γ-Nb₅Si₃. Minor B was prioritized into Nbss and redundant one dissolved into silicide enhanced volume fraction of the silicide. With increasing concentrations of boron, the microstructure was refined at first and then coarsened, while the tensile strength was enhanced remarkably. Compared with other two alloys, the 0.10B alloy containing γ-Nb₅Si₃ shows both the best fracture toughness and oxidation resistance. The important roles of γ-Nb₅Si₃ in balancing overall properties are emphasized.     

Improvement of oxidation resistance of Nb–Ti–Si based alloys with additions of Al,Cr and B at different temperatures

The effects of Cr, Al and B addition on the microstructure and high-temperature oxidation behaviors (at 1200, 1250 and 1300 ?°C) of Nb–Ti–Si based alloys were investigated. The results showed that the addition of Cr stabilized α-Nb₅Si₃, while Al promoted the formation of β-Nb₅Si₃ and adding B promoted the formation of γ-Nb₅Si₃. Among the three elements, Al and Cr were beneficial to oxidation resistance at 1200 ?°C, and B was favorable to the oxidation resistance at 1300 ?°C. At 1250 ?°C, Al and B had the same effects on the improvement of oxidation resistance. The ratio of these alloying elements might play an important role in enhancing oxidation resistance. The oxidation resistance of the three kinds of silicides was compared, and the sequence was: γ-Nb₅Si₃> β-Nb₅Si₃> α-Nb₅Si₃. To predict the effects of the investigated alloying elements on the oxidation resistance of Nb–Ti–Si based alloys in a wider range of concentration, an artificial neural network (ANN) model was established, showing excellent accuracy and generalization ability. With the instructions of the ANN model, the oxidation resistance can be optimized with less additions of alloying elements.     

Effect of Ag addition on the thermal stability and glass-forming ability of Zr<Subscript>35</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>30</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>7.5</Subscript>Be<Subscript>27.5</Subscript> bulk metallic glass

The thermal stability and glass forming ability (GFA) of Zr35-xTi30Cu7.5Be27.5Agx (x = 0-10) alloys were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and ultrasonic techniques. We found that the addition of 1 at.% Ag can considerably enhance the GFA as indicated by an increase in the critical glass dimension from 15 mm in the Zr35Ti30Cu7.5Be27.5 alloy to 20 mm in the Zr34Ti30Cu7.5Be27.5Ag1 alloy. However, with the addition of more Ag the supercooled liquid region (△Tx) and y parameter (defined as Tx/(Tg+Tl)) drastically decreased from 155 K and 0.436 to 76 K and 0.363, respectively, resulting in a decrease in the GFA. Additionally, the elastic constant (the ratio of shear modulus to bulk modulus or Poisson’s ratio) was also used as a gauge to evaluate the GFA in Zr35-xTi30Cu7.5Be27.5Agx alloys.     

Effect of Nb on the corrosion behavior of continuous bulk metallic glass-coated steel wire composites

(Zr_41.2Ti_13.8Cu_12.5Ni₁₀Be_22.5)_100?xNb_x (at%, x=0 and 8) bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) were coated on the surface of Q195 steel wires by a continuous coating process. The potentiodynamic polarization tests of these BMGs were conducted in 3.5wt% NaCl aqueous solution. It is found that the addition of 8at% Nb into Zr_41.2Ti_13.8Cu_12.5Ni₁₀Be_22.5 alloy results in the improvement of corrosion resistance with the pitting potential of ?52 mV, the open circuit potential of ?446 mV, and the corrosion current density of 9.86×10?6 mA/cm2. This may be attributed to that Nb is beneficial to passivate and stabilize Zr and Ti.     

First principles study-D88 lattice stability of low-rate metalloid Ti5Si3

First principles study is reported for the band structures, site and angular momentum decomposed density of states, and the electronic charge density distributions in high-temperature structural materials D8₈-Ti₅Si₃ with the addition of low-rate metalloid: carbon, boron, nitrogen and oxygen. It shows that how the addition of metalloid atoms can stabilize Nowotny phase of Ti₅Si₃ from the viewpoint of the electron structure. Supported by the National Natural Science Fundation of China Hong Lihua: born in 1974, Graduate student     

Minor-alloyed Cu-Ni-Si alloys with high hardness and electric conductivity designed by a cluster formula approach

Cu-Ni-Si alloys are widely used due to their good electrical conductivities in combination with high strength and hardness. In the present work, minor-alloying with M =(Cr, Fe, Mo, Zr) was conducted for the objective of further improving their hardness while maintaining their conductivity level. A cluster-plus-glue-atom model was introduced to design the compositions of M-alloyed Cu-Ni-Si alloys, in which an ideal composition formula[(Ni,Si,M)-Cu_(12)]Cu_3(molar proportion) was proposed. To guarantee the complete precipitation of solute elements in fine δ-Ni_2 Si precipitates, the atomic ratio of(Ni,M)/Si was set as 2/1. Thus the designed alloy series of Cu_(93.75)(Ni/Zr)_(3.75)Si_(2.08)(Cr/Fe/Mo)_(0.42)(at%) were arc-melted into ingots under argon atmosphere, and solidsolutioned at 950 ℃ for 1 h plus water quenching and then aged at 450 ℃ for different hours. The experimental results showed that these designed alloys exhibit high hardness(HV 1.7 GPa) and good electrical conductivities(≥ 35% IACS). Specifically, the quinary Cu_(93.75)Ni_(3.54)Si_(2.08)(Cr/Fe)_(0.42)Zr_(0.21) alloys(Cu-3.32 Ni-0.93 Si-0.37(Cr/Fe)-0.30 Zr wt%) possess both a high hardness with HV = 2.5-2.7 GPa, comparable to the highstrength KLFA85 alloy(Cu-3.2 Ni-0.7 Si-1.1 Zn wt%,HV= 2.548 GPa),and a good electrical conductivity(35-36% IACS).     

Hydrogen storage properties of (Ti0.85Zr0.15)1.05Mn1.2Cr0.6V0.1M0.1 (M=Ni, Fe, Cu) alloys easily activated at room temperature

The(Ti_(0.85)Zr_(0.15))_(1.05)Mn_(1.2)Cr_(0.6)V_(0.1)M_(0.1)(M=Ni, Fe, Cu) alloys with a single C14-type Laves phase have been fabricated by arc melting. They are able to be easily activated by one hydrogen absorption and desorption cycle under 4 MPa hydrogen pressure and vacuum at room temperature. Partial substitution of M for Mn results in the increase of hydrogenation and dehydrogenation capacities in an order of Ni Fe Cu. M elements increase the absorption and desorption plateau pressure in an order of(Ti_(0.85)Zr_(0.15))_(1.05)Mn_(1.2)Cr_(0.6)V_(0.1)Cu_(0.1)(Ti_(0.85)Zr_(0.15))_(1.05)Mn_(1.2)Cr_(0.6)V_(0.1)Fe_(0.1)(Ti_(0.85)Zr_(0.15))_(1.05)Mn_(1.2)Cr_(0.6)V_(0.1)Ni_(0.1). The(Ti_(0.85)Zr_(0.15))_(1.05)Mn_(1.2)Cr_(0.6)V_(0.1)Cu_(0.1) alloy has reversible hydrogen capacities of 1.81 wt% at 273 K and 1.58 wt% at 318 K with formation enthalpy(ΔH_(ab)) of-20.66 kJ mol~(-1) and decomposition enthalpy(ΔH_(de)) of 27.37 kJ mol~(-1). The differences in the hydrogen storage properties can be attributed to the increase of the interstitial size for hydrogen accommodation caused by the increase of unit cell volumes in the order of(Ti_(0.85)Zr_(0.15))_(1.05)Mn_(1.2)Cr_(0.6)V_(0.1)Ni_(0.1)(Ti_(0.85)Zr_(0.15))_(1.05)Mn_(1.2)Cr_(0.6)V_(0.1)Fe_(0.1)(Ti_(0.85)Zr_(0.15))_(1.05)Mn_(1.2)Cr_(0.6)V_(0.1)Cu_(0.1).     

Effect of Co addition on crystallization and magnetic properties of FeSiBPCu alloy

The effects of Co addition on the microstructure,crystallization processes and soft magnetic properties of(Fe1 xCox)83Si4B8P4Cu1(x?0.35,0.5,0.65)alloys were investigated.The experimental results demonstrated that the addition of Co decreased the thermal stability against crystallization of the amorphous phase,and thus improved the heat treatment temperature of this alloy.Fe Co Si BPCu nanocrystalline alloys with a dispersedα0-Fe Co phase were obtained by appropriately annealing the as-quenched ribbons at 763 K for 10 min.Theα0-Fe Co with grains size ranging from 9 to 28 nm was identified in primary crystallization.The coercivity(Hc)markedly increased with increasing x and exhibited a minimum value at x0.35,while the saturation magnetic flux density(Bs)shows a slight decrease.The(Fe0.65Co0.35)83Si4B8P4Cu1nanocrystalline alloy exhibited a high saturation magnetic flux density Bsof 1.68 T,a low coercivity,Hcof 5.4 A/m and a high effective permeability meof 29,000 at 1 k Hz.