Effect of rolling on the microstructure and mechanical property of Zr52.5Cu17.9Ni14.6Al10Ti5 bulk metallic glass

The microstructure and hardness evolutions of the as-cast and annealed Zr52.5Cu17.9Ni14.6Al10Ti5 bulk metallic glass during rolling deformation were studied. It is revealed that nanocrystals and new glassy phases with sizes in the range of 5–20 nm form in the as-cast/rolled sample when the reduction in thickness exceeds 90%. If the glass is isothermally pre-annealed, the deformability decreases due to the precipitation of the crystalline phases. However, the samples with the fraction of crystalline phases less than 36% still possess a good ductility during rolling. The hardness of the material decreases with the rolling proceeding, and the decrease is more significant in the pre-annealed samples.