Inverse ductile–brittle transition in metallic glasses?

There is evidence that metallic glasses can show increased plasticity as the temperature is lowered. This behaviour is the opposite to what would be expected from phenomena such as the ductile–brittle transition in conventional alloys. Data collected for the plasticity of different metallic–glass compositions tested at room temperature and below, and at strain rates from rate 10^?5 to 10³ s^?1, are reviewed. The analogous effects of low temperature and high strain rate, as observed in conventional alloys, are examined for metallic glasses. The relevant plastic flow in metallic glasses is inhomogeneous, sharply localised in thin shear bands. The enhanced plasticity at lower temperature is attributed principally to a transition from shear on a single dominant band to shear on multiple bands. The origins of this transition and its links to shear bands operating ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ are explored. The stress drop on a shear band after initial yielding is found to be a useful parameter for analysing mechanical behaviour. Schematic failure mode maps are proposed for metallic glasses under compression and tension. Outstanding issues are identified, and design rules are considered for metallic glasses of improved plasticity.     

The potential of Zr-based bulk metallic glasses as biomaterials

Zr-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are a new type of metallic materials with disordered atomic structure that exhibit high strength and high elastic strain, relatively low Young’s modulus, and excellent corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. The combination of these unique properties makes the Zr-based BMGs very promising for biomaterials applications. In this review article, the authors give an overview of the recent progress in the study of biocompatibility of Zr-based BMGs, especially the relevant work that has been done in the metallic glasses group in Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), including the development of Ni-free Zr-based BMGs, the mechanical and wear properties, the bio-corrosion resistance, the in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility and the bioactive surface modification of these newly developed BMGs.     

Ultra-high strength Mg-Li based bulk metallic glasses: Preparation and performance research

In this paper, new Mg-Li based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are prepared by conventional copper mold injection casting method. The alloys exhibit excellent mechanical properties, such as ultra-high compressive fracture strength (maximal 729 MPa), high Vickers hardness (>2 GPa) and low elastic modulus (∼35 GPa). Compared with the corresponding crystal alloys, the density of the amorphous alloy samples is reduced by about 1.5% due to their free volume. Thus, it is believed that this new BMGs with these outstanding properties will broaden Mg-Li based alloys’ application fields.     

Comparison of mechanical behavior between bulk and ribbon Cu-based metallic glasses

As-cast bulk and as-spun ribbon Cu₆₀Zr₃₀Ti₁₀ metallic glasses were characterized using differential-scanning calorimetry and instrumented nanoindentation. Two alloys show a significant difference in the amount of free volume, which is attributed to the difference in a cooling rate, while exhibiting a similar serrated plastic flow. Atomic-force-microscopy observations demonstrate the pile-ups containing shear bands around the indents in both alloys. The as-cast bulk alloy has higher hardness and elastic modulus than the as-spun ribbon alloy. The difference in the strengths of two alloys may be related to the different amount of free volume. The strength seems to be more sensitive to a cooling rate during solidification than the plastic-flow behavior in the Cu₆₀Zr₃₀Ti₁₀.     

Making metallic glasses plastic by control of residual stress

Metallic glasses, now that many compositions can be made in bulk, are of interest for structural applications exploiting their yield stress and yield strain, which are exceptionally high for metallic materials. Their applicability is limited by their near-zero tensile ductility resulting from work-softening and shear localization. Even though metallic glasses can show extensive local plasticity, macroscopically they can effectively be brittle, and much current research is directed at improving their general plasticity. In conventional engineering materials as diverse as silicate glasses and metallic alloys, we can improve mechanical properties by the controlled introduction of compressive surface stresses. Here we demonstrate that we can controllably induce such residual stresses in a bulk metallic glass, and that they improve the mechanical performance, in particular the plasticity, but that the mechanisms underlying the improvements are distinct from those operating in conventional materials.     

Bulk Metallic Glasses with Functional Physical Properties

In this review, we report on the formation of a variety of novel, metallic, glassy materials that might well have applications as functional materials. The metallic glasses, with excellent glass‐forming ability, display many fascinating properties and features such as excellent wave‐absorption ability, exceptionally low glass‐transition temperatures (～35–60 °C) approaching room temperature, ultralow elastic moduli comparable to that of human bone, high elasticity and high strength, superplasticity and polymer‐like thermoplastic formability near room temperature, an excellent magnetocaloric effect, hard magnetism and tunable magnetic properties, heavy‐fermion behavior, superhydrophobicity and superoleophobicity, and polyamorphism, all of which are of interest not only for basic research but also for technological applications. A strategy based on elastic‐moduli correlations for fabrication of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) with controllable properties is presented. The work has implications in the search for novel metallic glasses with unique functional properties, for advancing our understanding of the nature and formation of glasses, and for extending the applications of the materials.     

Bulk metallic glasses: A new class of engineering materials

Bulk glass-forming alloys have emerged over the past fifteen years with attractive properties and technological promise. A number of alloy systems based on lanthanum, magnesium, zirconium, palladium, iron, cobalt and nickel have been discovered. Glass-forming ability depends on various factors like enthalpy of mixing, atomic size and multicomponent alloying. A number of processes is available to synthesise bulk metallic glasses. The crystallisation behaviour and mechanical properties of these alloys pose interesting scientific questions. Upon crystallisation many of these glasses transform to bulk nanocrystals and nanoquasicrystals. A detailed study of the structure and the crystallisation behaviour of glasses has enabled the elucidation of the possible atomic configuration in liquid alloys. Their crystallisation behaviour can be exploited to synthesise novel nanocomposite microstructures and their mechanical properties can be enhanced. A broad overview of the present status of the science and technology of bulk metallic glasses and their potential technological uses is presented.     

Achieving 5.9% elastic strain in kilograms of metallic glasses: Nanoscopic strain engineering goes macro

The ideal elastic limit is the upper bound of the achievable strength and elastic strain of solids. However, the elastic strains that bulk materials can sustain are usually below 2%, due to the localization of inelastic deformations at the lattice scale. In this study, we achieved >5% elastic strain in bulk quantity of metallic glass, by exploiting the more uniform and smaller-magnitude atomic-scale lattice strains of martensitic transformation as a loading medium in a bulk metallic nanocomposite. The self-limiting nature of martensitic transformation helps to prevent lattice strain transfer that leads to the localization of deformation and damage. This lattice strain egalitarian strategy enables bulk metallic materials in kilogram-quantity to achieve near-ideal elastic limit. This concept is verified in a model in situ bulk amorphous (TiNiFe)-nanocrystalline (TiNi(Fe)) composite, in which the TiNiFe amorphous matrix exhibits a maximum tensile elastic strain of ∼5.9%, which approaches its theoretical elastic limit. As a result, the model bulk composite possesses a large recoverable strain of ∼7%, a maximum tensile strength of above 2 GPa, and a large elastic resilience of ∼79.4 MJ/m³. The recoverable strain and elastic resilience are unmatched by known high strength bulk metallic materials. This design concept opens new opportunities for the development of high-performance bulk materials and elastic strain engineering of the physiochemical properties of glasses.     

Metal Alloys for Fusion‐Based Additive Manufacturing

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) is an innovative manufacturing technique, which builds parts incrementally layer by layer. Thus, metal AM has inherent advantages in part complexity, time, and waste saving. However, due to its complex thermal cycle and rapid solidification during processing, the alloys well suit and commercially used for metal AM today are limited. Therefore, it is important to understand the alloying strategy and current progress with materials performance to consider alloy development for metal AM. This review presents the current range of alloys available for metal AM, including titanium, steel, nickel, aluminum, less common alloys (including Mg alloys, metal matrix composites alloys, and low melting point alloys), and compositionally complex alloys (including bulk metallic glasses and high entropy alloys) with a focus on the relationship between compositions, processing, microstructures, and properties of each alloy system. In addition, some promising alloy systems for metal AM are highlighted. Approaches for designing and optimizing new materials for metal AM have been summarized.

     

The bulk metallic glass formation in Zr-Al-Ni-Ti quaternary system

The optimum metallic glass compositions are located close to the intersecting line of the e/a-constant and atomic size-constant planes in a quaternary composition chart. According to these criteria, a series of Zr-Al-Ni-Ti quaternary alloys have been designed and prepared by suction casting. The electron concentration and average atomic size of two ternary glass forming alloys, Zr₆₀Al₂₀Ni₂₀ and Zr₅₃Al_23.5Ni_23.5, have been used. Pure glass state is reached only within a small composition range of Ti. Ti addition deteriorates the thermal stabilities, but maintains the same glass forming abilities of bulk metallic glasses.     

Complete Composition Tunability of Cu(Ni)-Ti-Zr Alloys for Bulk Metallic Glass Formation

In the Cu-Zr-Ti ternary system, a new composition zone of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) formation was discovered, locating at the 55-57 at. Pct Cu, 30-31 at. Pct Ti and 13-14 at. Pct Zr, and near Cu-Ti binary subsystem rather than the Cu-Zr binary. For these alloys, BMG rods of 2 mm in diameter can be fabricated by using copper mould casting. It is expected that these BMG-forming alloys correlate with (L→CuTi+Cu2TiZr+Cu61Zr14) eutectic reaction that the undercooled melt undergoes during solidification. Adopting "3D pinpointing ap-proach", compositional dependence of glass-forming ability (GFA) in Cu(Ni)-Ti-Zr pseudo ternary system was revisited. Optimized BMG-forming composition is located at Cu50.4Ni5.6Ti31Zr13, with a critical diameter of 6 mm for complete BMG formation. Its GFA is significantly superior to Vit 101 (Cu47Ni8Ti34Zr11) previously developed by Caltech group. The effect that the GFA of the ternary base alloy was improved by substitution of Ni for Cu is attributed to a role of retarding the crystallization of Cu51Zr14 intermetallics.     

Mechanical behavior of Zr-based bulk metallic glasses

Bulk metallic glasses have a very high corrosion resistance and mechanical strength. Bulk metallic glasses show elastic-perfectly plastic behavior with an extended region of elastic strain (≈ 2%). But at room temperature their macroscopic plasticity is weak even though a local plastic strain is observed in shear bands. A relaxation analysis allowed studying micro-mechanisms of plastic deformation and estimating the apparent activation volume (≈ 2000 ų). __________ Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 1, pp. 167–170, January–February, 2008.     

大块金属玻璃晶化过程的研究进展

大块金属玻璃具有许多独特的性能,有着广阔的应用前景.晶化过程对大块金属玻璃的应用有很大影响,是当前此领域研究的热点之一.介绍了大块金属玻璃在各种条件下晶化过程、影响因素等方面的研究进展.     

形状记忆合金的力学及界面参数和体积分数对大块金属玻璃基复合材料增韧的影响

采用考虑塑性的超弹性材料模型和基于损伤塑性的准脆性材料模型,建立了三维单胞有限元模型,模拟了形状记忆合金颗粒增韧大块金属玻璃基复合材料的单调拉伸行为。讨论了形状记忆合金的力学参数、体积分数、界面厚度和界面材料参数对金属玻璃增韧效果的影响。结果表明:提高形状记忆合金的相变应变和马氏体塑性屈服应力将显著提高形状记忆合金颗粒增韧大块金属玻璃基复合材料的拉伸失效应变;形状记忆合金弹性模量超过50.0GPa、马氏体塑性屈服应力超过1.8GPa后,复合材料的拉伸失效应变变化不大。能同时兼顾失效应变和失效应力的形状记忆合金体积分数为15%左右。复合材料界面弹性模量和界面屈服应力的增加将提高复合材料的失效应力,但对失效应变影响不大;复合材料界面厚度的增加在提高失效应变的同时,也降低了复合材料的失效应力。     

Formation and thermal stability of Ca–Mg–Zn and Ca–Mg–Zn–Cu bulk metallic glasses

Several Ca–Mg–Zn and Ca–Mg–Zn–Cu bulk metallic glasses were produced by copper mold casting method. The alloy compositions were selected using specific criteria recently identified by the authors. The glass transition temperature, crystallization temperature, temperature interval of the supercooled region, melting temperature as well as heats of crystallization, and melting are reported for these alloys.     

大块金属玻璃的研究及应用

回顾了大块金属玻璃的研究和进展过程,介绍了典型及新型大块金属玻璃及其开发年代,简要分析了微观结构以及工艺条件对大块金属玻璃的形成能力的影响,介绍了大块金属玻璃优良的力学、磁学性能,特别介绍了大块金属玻璃的可焊性及广阔的应用前景.     

Metallic glasses — a new class of materials: their scientific and industrial importance

This paper reviews significant developments in the field of amorphous alloys, especially the evolution of a new class of materials called metallic glasses. The structure of metallic glasses and the metallurgical operations used in their preparation are discussed in detail. Following this is an analysis of the electrical, magnetic, mechanical and superconducting properties of metallic glasses. The paper ends with a discussion of the most promising techniques now available for the production of amorphous alloys such as the powder metallurgy method. This paper is based on a keynote lecture delivered at the opening session of the International Conference on ‘Metal Sciences—The Emerging Frontiers’ held at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 23–26 November 1977.     

Microstructures and properties of high-entropy alloys

This paper reviews the recent research and development of high-entropy alloys (HEAs). HEAs are loosely defined as solid solution alloys that contain more than five principal elements in equal or near equal atomic percent (at.%). The concept of high entropy introduces a new path of developing advanced materials with unique properties, which cannot be achieved by the conventional micro-alloying approach based on only one dominant element. Up to date, many HEAs with promising properties have been reported, e.g., high wear-resistant HEAs, Co_1.5CrFeNi_1.5Ti and Al_0.2Co_1.5CrFeNi_1.5Ti alloys; high-strength body-centered-cubic (BCC) AlCoCrFeNi HEAs at room temperature, and NbMoTaV HEA at elevated temperatures. Furthermore, the general corrosion resistance of the Cu_0.5NiAlCoCrFeSi HEA is much better than that of the conventional 304-stainless steel. This paper first reviews HEA formation in relation to thermodynamics, kinetics, and processing. Physical, magnetic, chemical, and mechanical properties are then discussed. Great details are provided on the plastic deformation, fracture, and magnetization from the perspectives of crackling noise and Barkhausen noise measurements, and the analysis of serrations on stress–strain curves at specific strain rates or testing temperatures, as well as the serrations of the magnetization hysteresis loops. The comparison between conventional and high-entropy bulk metallic glasses is analyzed from the viewpoints of eutectic composition, dense atomic packing, and entropy of mixing. Glass forming ability and plastic properties of high-entropy bulk metallic glasses are also discussed. Modeling techniques applicable to HEAs are introduced and discussed, such as ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and CALPHAD modeling. Finally, future developments and potential new research directions for HEAs are proposed.     

Cu基大块非晶合金的热力学预测

利用Miedema理论和几何模型计算了三元合金Cu-Zr-A1、Cu-Hf-A1、Cu-Hf-Zr的形成焓。讨论了形成焓对Cu基非晶合金形成能力的影响，并将计算结果与已有的实验结果进行了比较，发现二者较吻合。     

增材制造金属玻璃的研究进展

金属玻璃(即非晶合金)具有较高的强度、硬度和耐磨性,优异的耐腐蚀性能等,目前已被广泛应用于制备棒球杆、传感器、电磁铁芯、变压器等。增材制造(即3D打印)技术集节约材料、可个性化定制复杂几何件优点于一身,现被广泛研究和应用。目前已掀起了3D打印金属玻璃的研究热潮。本文主要综述了3D打印金属玻璃的研究进展,在此基础上探讨了其存在的问题以及解决办法。采用优化的工艺参数和扫描策略可部分避免这些问题,对热影响区的温度分布与工艺参数之间的关系模拟研究是解决3D打印成形致密块体金属玻璃问题的关键。