The role of capillarity in the gravitational molding of metallic glass pieces

Pieces of Pd40Ni10Cu30P20 (numbers indicate at.%) metallic glass of high surface to volume ratio are processed by gravitational casting in a mold. The influence of mold temperature on mold filling and sticking at the alloy/mold interface is investigated. Sticking is discussed with a particular emphasis on the role of wetting of the molten alloy on mold surfaces, which was assessed from sessile drop experiments performed on different mold materials. The measured mold filling time is compared with a simple analytic model.