Research on high-Al Cu-Zr-Al-Y bulk metallic glass and its composites

This work highlights the preparation, microstructure, wear resistance and mechanical property of Cu-Zr -Al-Y bulk metallic glass (BMG) and its composites (BMGC) containing high contents of Al (7, 10, 13, 16 at.%). The results show that the best glass forming ability and thermal stability are achieved by 10 at.% addition of Al. For BMGs, due to the generation of phase separation, the best ductility is obtained in 7Al alloy with the plastic strain of 4.7%. The compressive strengths of high Al contents alloys (10, 13 and 16 at.%) were significantly improved compared with that of 7Al alloy. Simultaneously, wear resistance and hardness are also slightly improved. For 7Al BMGCs, precipitation of 13 vol% B2 phase has better wear resistance compared with the BMG, When B2 phase increases to 35 vol%, the martensitic transformation produces work hardening, which improves mechanical properties (sigma(f) = 1819 MPa, epsilon(p) = 4.3%). The present work provides important insights for creating a novel functional structure material with low cost, high wear resistance, light weight and high strength. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.