Effects of Fe addition on glass-forming ability and mechanical properties of Ti–Zr–Be bulk metallic glass

The influence of Fe addition on the glass-forming ability (GFA) and mechanical properties in Ti41Zr25Be34 − xFex (x = 0, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 at.%) alloys was studied. It has been found that the glass forming-ability and mechanical property of the Ti–Zr–Be alloys could be significantly improved by addition of Fe element. Among the present alloys, the Ti41Zr25Be28Fe6 glassy alloy shows the largest supercooled liquid range ΔTx (ΔTx = 107 K), and a large critical size of 8 mm for fabricating BMGs by copper mold casting method. The yield strength, ultimate strength and plastic strain are dramatically enhanced from 1755, 1914 MPa and 2.9% for Ti41Zr25Be34 glassy alloy to 1964 MPa, 2268 MPa and 11.2% for Ti41Zr25Be28Fe6 glassy alloy, respectively. Especially, the specific strength (yield strength/density) is 4.02 × 105 Nm/kg, greatly larger than that of most other BMGs. The experimental results show that Fe addition is an effective way for improving the glass-forming ability and mechanical properties of Ti–Zr–Be glassy alloy.

► Fe addition effectively enhances the glass-forming ability of Ti–Zr–Be alloys.
► Ti41Zr25Be28Fe6 bulk metallic glass possesses a large ΔTx (107 K).
► Ti41Zr25Be28Fe6 glassy alloy possesses high specific strength (4.02 × 105 Nm/kg).
► Ti41Zr25Be28Fe6 glassy alloy exhibits good compressive plasticity (11.2%).