Investigation of the effects of Al on the glass forming ability of Zr-Cu-Ni-Al alloys through their solidification characteristics

The alloying addition was widely and effectively used to develop the new BMGs and improve the glass formation ability (GFA) of the BMG materials. In this study, using the Zr-Cu-Ni-Al system as a mold, the effects of Al addition on both the microstructural evolution and glass forming ability were studied experimentally. The results indicate that when the amount of added Al is less than 10 at. % in the present alloys, Al is dissolved into the phases of ZrCu and Zr2Cu, and does not change the phase competition.