Tungsten-Based Metallic Glasses with High Crystallization Temperature, High Modulus and High Hardness

Abstract

Ternary and quaternary tungsten-based alloys were melt-spun to produce metallic glasses having high crystallization temperature and high hardness. Alloy compositions were selected based on eutectic compositions of tungsten-based binary alloys; they are W₄₆Ru₃₇B₁₇, W₅₄Rh₂₆B₂₀, W₅₆Ir₂₃B₂₁, etc. In most of the alloys, ductile metallic glasses were produced. DSC measurements showed that most of the metallic glasses undergo a two-step crystallization with the onset temperature of the first crystallization being as high as 1049∼1298 K. Vickers hardness values at room temperature are 13∼17 GPa. The ratio of the hardness H_v to Young’s modulus E satisfies the general rule for metallic glasses, i.e. H_V⁄E\\fallingdotseq0.06. High temperature hardness measurements for W₄₆Ru₃₇B₁₇ and W₄₅Re₂₃Ru₁₅B₁₇ metallic glasses showed that the Vickers hardness values are higher than 10 GPa up to 900 K.