Glass forming ability and thermal stability of ternary Ca-Mg-Zn bulk metallic glasses

Several ternary Ca-Mg-Zn bulk glassy alloys with compositions Ca55Mg15+XZn30-X, Ca60Mg10+YZn30-Y, and Ca55+ZMg25-ZZn20, where X = 0, 5 and 10; Y = 0, 5, 7.5, 10, and 15; and Z = 0, 5, 7.5, 10, and 15, were prepared by a copper mold casting method as square (10 mm x 10 mm) plates of different thicknesses varying from 0.5 mm to 10 mm, and the effect of the alloy composition on glass forming ability was determined. The maximum thickness, at which an alloy remains fully amorphous, glass transition temperature, crystallization temperature, temperature interval of the super-cooled liquid region, solidus and liquidus temperatures, as well as heats of crystallization and melting, are reported for these alloys. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.