National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow, Russia)

I. V. Fedotov, Associate Professor of the Department of Physical Problems of Materials Science, Candidate of Technical Sciences, fed_ivan@mail.ru
А. V. Abramov, Postgraduate Student of the Department of Physical Problems of Materials Science
S. М. Terekhova, Assistant of the Department of Physical Problems of Materials Science
I. V. Kozlov, Associate Professor of the Department of Physical Problems of Materials Science, Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences
А. А. Ivannikov, Associate Professor of the Department of Physical Problems of Materials Science, Candidate of Technical Sciences
О. N. Sevryukov, Associate Professor of the Department of Physical Problems of Materials Science, Candidate of Technical Sciences

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) possess a number of unique properties, including high strength, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance. However, their application is limited by low ductility and the need for high cooling rates to suppress crystallization. A promising approach to improving ductility is the formation of bulk metallic glass matrix composites (BMGCs), in which the crystalline phase enhances ductility by hindering the propagation of shear bands. In this study, the structural and phase state of the Zr35Ti30Be27.5Cu7.5 at.% alloy produced by copper mold casting using molds with casting hole diameters of 10, 15, and 20 mm has been investigated. Scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray phase analysis have revealed that the 10- and 15-mm-diameter ingots exhibited an amorphouscrystalline structure with eutectic precipitates 5–10 μm in size and crystallites up to 2 μm in size. In the central region of the 20-mm-diameter ingot, a predominantly crystalline structure has been formed, whereas a surface layer up to 500 μm thick retains an amorphous state. Additional cooling of the mold with liquid nitrogen has increased the thickness of the amorphous layer by approximately 90 μm, but has not resulted in the formation of a fully amorphous structure. Numerical modeling has shown that the cooling rate of the casting decreases significantly with increasing casting diameter. Comparison of the modeling results with the experimental data has revealed that the model has overestimated the rates. The formation of the ingot structure is primarily governed by the geometric parameters of the casting, whereas the critical cooling rate of the investigated alloy is higher than the calculated values.
The study was funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation within the framework of the Strategic Academic Leadership Program “Priority 2030”.

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