Structure, Thermal Stability and Mechanical Properties of Zr<SUB>65</SUB>Al<SUB>7.5</SUB>Ni<SUB>10</SUB>Cu<SUB>17.5</SUB> Glassy Alloy Rod with a Diameter of 16 mm Produced by Tilt Casting

Abstract

Bulk glassy alloy rods with a diameter of 16 mm and a length of 40 to 45 mm were produced for Zr65Al7.5Ni10Cu17.5 alloy by a tilt casting method. The alloy specimens taken from the different sites which are away by about 10 mm, 15 mm and 30 mm from the bottom surface of the cast rod consist of a glassy phase and their thermal stability, mechanical properties and fracture mode are almost independent of the specimen sites. The glass transition temperature, temperature interval of supercooled liquid region before crystallization and heat of crystallization are about 643 K, 102 K and 55 J/g, respectively, for the specimens taken from the three different sites. Besides, Young’s modulus, yield strength, fracture strength, yield strain and plastic strain of the specimens are about 87 GPa, 1540 MPa, 1580 MPa, 0.018 and 0.005, respectively. The fracture mode consisting of shear plastic deformation along the maximum shear stress plane, followed by an instantaneous final rupture is also independent of the specimen sites. These data indicate that the cast glassy alloy rod with a diameter of 16 mm has nearly the same characteristics, though the cooling rate is significantly dependent on sample sites. The knowledge of producing the Zr-based bulk glassy alloy rod with nearly the same characteristics in the large diameter range up to 16 mm is encouraging for future applications of bulk glassy alloys as a new type of engineering material.