Influence of Small Content Elements Additions on the Glass Forming Ability of Zr-based Bulk Metallic Glasses Alloys

The present work reports investigation on the Glass Forming Ability (GFA) of Zr-based Bulk Metallic Glasses (BMG’s) by microalloying with early transition metals. GFA was measured as the amorphous fraction formed in samples with different diameters using optical microscopy (OM) and image analysis techniques. Samples with the highest GFA had their oxygen content measured in a Leco RO-400. This study shows that additions of Molybdenum or Iron in a Zr48Cu(48-x)Al4Mx (M = Mo or Fe) alloys resulted in a minor GFA improvement, but far from the results reported in the literature with Nb additions in this system. Niobium microalloying to a Zr62Cu15.5Al10Ni(12.5-x)Nbx and (Zr55Cu30Al10)100-xNbx alloys have a deleterious effect on the GFA. Oxygen measurements of (Zr55Cu30Al10)99Nb1 and Zr62Cu15.5Al10Ni12.4Nb0.1 alloys have shown similar oxygen content, indicating that oxygen was not a limiting factor on this study. The amorphous fraction quantification from OM image analysis maintains the same fraction ratio from the heat released at the crystallization event from heating DSC analysis.