Microstructure and mechanical properties of the Zr66.4Cu10.5Ni8.7Al8Ta6.4 metallic glass-forming alloy

Abstract The investigation on Zr 66.4 Cu 10.5 Ni 8.7 Al 8 Ta 6.4 alloy shows that Ta promotes the formation of bcc-β-Zr(Ta,Cu,Ni,Al) dendrites and induces the precipitation of Zr 2 Cu and Zr 2 Ni intermetallics in as-cast cylinders. The ductile dendritic phase counteracts the brittleness of the intermetallics resulting in 1824 MPa compressive fracture strength and 102 GPa Young’s modulus for this alloy.