Thermal stability and mechanical properties of a Zr-based bulk amorphous alloy

The thermal and mechanical properties of a Zr–Al–Cu–Ti–Ni bulk metallic glass were investigated. The glass transition and the crystallization were studied by calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. It was found that the crystallization occurred in two steps. The precipitating phases, and the activation energies were determined. It was established that the crystallization was controlled by the diffusion of the alloying Cu and Ni atoms. The creep behavior was investigated by indentation tests. The viscosity and the activation energy of the deformation process determined from indentation were in reasonable agreement with those obtained by compression tests.