Al_(80)Ni_6Y_8Co_4Cu_2 GLASS ALLOYS CONTAINING NANOSCALEPARTICLES BY ISOTHERMAL ANNEALING OR QUENCHING

Al80Ni6 Y8 Co4 Cu2 amorphous ribbons were isothermally annealed and a mixed structure consisting of α-Al particle with a size of less than 15nm and Al3Ni compound with a size of about 30nm was obtained. The crystallization kinetics of Al80Ni6 Y8 Co4 Cu2 amorphous alloy shows that the precipitation of α-Al particles is the growth process controlled by diffusion of the solute elements rejected from the growing crystals. By quenching at different cooling rates, a mixed structure consisting of nanoscale α-Al particles and the remaining glass matrix or structure consisting of nanoscale particle (Al phase or Al3Ni compound) with a size of about 100nm was formed. The addition of Co elements and Cu elements to Al-Ni-Y alloy systems increases the glass formation ability of the alloy and the thermal stability of the supercooled liquid region against crystallization, which results from significant difference of atomic size, strong bonding nature among constituent elements and the low diffisivity of the solute elements due to the concentration gradient in the growing front of crystals.

Single Goss grain growth by isothermal annealing in rolled Fe–Al–Ga–Nb C sheets

The(Fe_(82)Al_(13.5)Ga_(4.5))_(99.9)(NbC)_(0.1) sheets with strong Goss texture and large magnetostriction were prepared by rolling and isothermal annealing processes.Single Goss grain growth was observed in sheets undergoing isothermal annealing at 1050 ℃ for 1 h using Ar as protecting gas.With annealing time increasing to 8 h at1050℃,a largest magnetostriction of 154×10^(-6) is obtained in sheet and a large λ_(//)(the maximum magnetostriction with magnetic field parallel to rolling direction)of 160×10^(-6) along the rolling direction is also observed.The fact that a λ_(//) of 160×10^(-6) along RD can be achieved with only 4.5 at% Ga in the Fe-18 at%(Al,Ga) sheet is of practical importance.Compared with previous studies in Fe-Al and Fe-Ga sheets,this paper provides a more efficient approach to prepare strong Goss textured sheets.In this way,a slow continuous heating process,sulfur-induced surface energy control and high-temperature annealing above 1200 ℃ are no more necessary.It shows a good prospect for industrial production of high-performance magnetostrictive alloy sheets.

Study on precipitation and transition mechanisms from the magnetic properties of silicon steel during annealing

Precipitates play an important role in determining the mechanical and magnetic properties of silicon steel. This paper aims to investigate the growth kinetics of precipitates in commercial silicon steel by analyzing its magnetic properties during isothermal annealing at 200℃. The growth of precipitates was studied by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and magnetic measurements. In combination with the coercive field and initial susceptibility, this technique offers the advantage of being non-destructive and providing quantitative information about the number, mean radius of precipitates, and fraction of transformation. An ob- served decrease in the number of precipitated particles indicates that the transformation starts from particles of appreciable initial size.

Crystallization behavior of Fe_(78)Si_(13)B_9 metallic glass under high magnetic field

The effects of high magnetic field on the crystallization behavior of the Fe78Si13B9 metallic glass ribbon were studied. The samples were isothermal annealed for 30 min under high magnetic field and no field,respectively. Microstructure transformation during crystallization was identified by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the crystallizations of Fe78Si13B9 metallic glass processed under different conditions were that the precipitation of dendrite α-Fe（Si） and spherulite （Fe,Si）3B phases forms amorphous matrix and then the metastable （Fe,Si）3B phase transforms into the stable Fe2B phase. The grain size of the crystals is smaller and more homogeneous for the isothermal annealed samples under high magnetic field in comparison with that under no field indicating that the crystallization behavior of Fe78Si13B9 metallic glass is suppressed by high magnetic field.

Cooling Rate Dependence of Structural Order and Energy Landscape in Zr_(55)Cu_(35)Al_(10) Glass

Classical molecular dynamics simulation has been widely used to study the rapid cooling process of preparing amorphous alloys.However,the simulated cooling rate is several orders of magnitude higher than the experimental cooling rate.In this paper,Zr_(55)Cu_(35)Al_(10)alloy was taken as an example.It is found that adding isothermal annealing at a temperature slightly lower than Tand prolonging isothermal annealing time could effectively reduce the cooling rate.The glassy sample prepared in this way demonstrates significant energetic stability and well-developed short-range and medium-range order.

Initial stages of Nb_(3)Sn phase formation in Nb-bronze matrix composite wires investigated by means of electron microscopy

At present,Nb_(3) Sn superconductors are becoming more popular in high magnetic fields.The growth law of Nb_(3) Sn phase in a planar CuSn/Nb diffusion couple has been studied,whereas the formation mechanism of Nb_(3) Sn phase in a cylindrical CuSn/Nb diffusion couple is still controversial.The purpose of this work is to investigate the growth exponent of Nb_(3) Sn phase at the initial stage of annealing by use of scanning electron microscopy(SEM)through which the thickness of Nb_(3) Sn layer can be obtained.In this study,bronze-processed Nb_(3) Sn multifilamentary wires with different annealing time were investigated.The Nb_(3) Sn phase was formed during isothermal annealing at 670 ℃ by solid-state diffusion,which was accomplished by the movement of Sn atoms from the CuSn/Nb_(3) Sn interface to Nb_(3) Sn/Nb interface.However,the formation mechanism of Nb_(3) Sn phase at the initial stage of annealing is still not well understood.Microstructural evolution of Nb_(3) Sn phase during isothermal annealing was studied by SEM.The mean thickness of the Nb_(3) Sn layer(Δ(xNn3 Sn)) is expressed as a power function of the annealing time(t) by the equation A_(x^(2)Nb_(3) Sn)=k(t/t0)^(n),where t0 is the unit time,k is the reaction rate constant and n is the growth exponent.The growth exponent has the average value of 0.82,which means that the formation of the Nb_(3) Sn phase is both governed by the interface reaction and the grain boundary diffusion.

Atomic-scale Nb heterogeneity induced icosahedral short-range ordering in metallic glasses

The intrinsic origins and formation of atomic-scale structure in multicomponent alloys remain largely unknown owing to limited simulations and inaccessible experiments.Herein,we report the formation of three-dimensional periodicity from a disordered atomic-scale structure to an imperfect/perfect ordered cluster and finally to long-range translational and rotational symmetry coupled with Nb heterogeneity.Significant atomic-scale structural clustering and atomic arrangements involving solvent or solute atoms simultaneously occurred during isothermal annealing.A close relationship between atomic-scale structural evolution and composition variation has important implications in depicting the chemical and topological packing during the early crystallization stage in metallic glasses.This work can provide a comprehensive understanding of how short-range orders evolve into long-range periodicity and will further shed light on the origins and nature of metallic glasses.