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High-zirconium bulk metallic glasses with high strength and large ductility

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Abstract

In this paper, high-zirconium Zr66+2x Al9−x (Ni1/3Cu2/3)25−x (x=0,1,2 at.%) bulk metallic glasses with high strength and large ductility were fabricated by copper mould casting. The effects of zirconium content on the glass-forming ability (GFA), thermal properties and mechanical properties were investigated using X-ray diffractometer (XRD), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and mechanical testing system in compressive and three-point bending modes, respectively. The high-zirconium BMGs show the critical diameters of 3–5 mm, the supercooled liquid region ranging from 70 K to 99 K, and the yield strength of over 1700 MPa. The Zr70Al7(Ni1/3Cu2/3)23 BMG exhibits a large compressive plastic strain up to 21% and a high notch toughness value of 60.6 MPa m1/2. The increase in Zr content results in the decrease in GFA and thermostability, and in the improvement of plasticity under compressive and three-point bending conditions. The superior plasticity of high-zirconium BMGs is attributed to their high Poisson’s ratio and small elastic modulus ratio µ/B.

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Correspondence to Tao Zhang.

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Yang, Y., Hua, N., Li, R. et al. High-zirconium bulk metallic glasses with high strength and large ductility. Sci. China Phys. Mech. Astron. 56, 540–544 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11433-013-5015-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11433-013-5015-7

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