Sliding wear behavior of Fe50−xCr15Mo14C15B6Erx (x=0, 1, 2 at%) bulk metallic glass

The sliding wear behavior was investigated for Fe50−xCr15Mo14C15B6Erx (x=0, 1, 2 at%) bulk metallic glasses (BMG). Minor alloying with 1–2 at% erbium resulted in an increase in hardness and a deterioration of the indentation fracture toughness, but the wear resistance increased with increasing Er content. The Fe48Cr15Mo14C15B6Er2 bulk metallic glass was then annealed and the wear resistance increased in the following order: crystallized, as-cast, and structurally relaxed condition. Transmission electron microscopy studies did not reveal sliding wear-induced crystallization, but instead shear band formation. The results demonstrate that micro-alloying is a useful approach for improving the wear resistance of bulk metallic glasses and that the combination of micro-alloying and annealing can substantially improve the wear resistance.