The Zr41Ti14Cu12.5Ni10Be22.5 (at.%) bulk metallic glass composites with various crystallization fractions were prepared by pretreating the bulk metallic glassy samples with pulsing current, and then by isothermal annealing at near initial crystallization temperature for different periods of time. The precipitations and crystallization fractions were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and their effects on mechanical properties of the composite were studied by microhardness, uniaxial compression test and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The experimental results show that the primary precipitate is quasicrystalline phase and other metastable phases including Be2Zr, Zr2Cu and FCC would precipitate subsequently. In the initial crystallization process, in which the crystallization fraction increases from 0 to 8.2%, both fracture strength and plastic strain increase, with the maximum plastic strain up to 6.4%. When the crystallization fraction is larger than 8.2%, the fracture strength and the plastic strain decrease sharply. Furthermore, the alloy with low crystallization fraction is fractured by shearing, while for high crystallization fraction it is fractured by splitting and cleavage. The results show that the mechanical properties of the glassy alloy could be optimized by controlling the processing parameters.
QIU ShengBao1,2, YAO KeFu1 & GONG Pan1 1 KLAMPT, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
The effect of thermal cycling treatment on mechanical properties and thermal stability of a Zr41Ti14Cu12.5Ni10Be22.5 bulk metallic glass is investigated.The metallic glassy samples are sealed into quartz tubes under high vacuum condition,and liquid nitrogen together with electric furnace are used to control a periodical temperature variation between 196℃ and 150℃.The structure and properties of the tested samples for different thermal cycles have been examined by X-ray diffraction analysis,mechanical properties measurement and thermal analysis.It has been found that the structure and properties of the samples do not show a significant change even after 200 cycles,which suggests Zr41Ti14Cu12.5Ni10Be22.5 alloy as having potential in aerospace environment.
Work hardening is a well-known phenomenon occurring in crystalline metals during deformation,which has been widely used to increase the strength of metals although their ductility is usually reduced simultaneously. Here we report that the plastic strain of Zr41Ti14Cu12.5Ni10Be22.5 (at.%) bulk metallic glasses has been increased from 0.3% for the as-cast sample to 2.5%-8.0% for samples that have experienced pre-deformation under constrained conditions. The pre-deformed glassy alloys possess more free volume and abundant introduced shear bands,which are believed to promote the activation of shear bands in post-deformation and result in an increase in plasticity. The orientation of the pre-introduced shear bands relative to the loading direction will affect the deformation behavior of pre-deformed samples. The present results show that pre-deformation of this glassy alloy will result in work toughening. This work toughening effect can be removed by isothermal annealing at a sub-Tg (glass transition) temperature,which causes annihilation of free volume and healing of shear bands.
