Quantification of free volume differences in a Zr44Ti11Ni10Cu10Be25 bulk amorphous alloy

Deformation of metallic glasses requires the existence of free volume to allow atomic movement under mechanical loading. Accordingly, quantification of the free volume state of the alloy is crucial to understand its mechanical behavior. By annealing below the glass transition temperature, the free volume of a Zr44Ti11Ni10Cu10Be25 bulk metallic glass was varied via structural relaxation. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to quantify enthalpy differences between the relaxed and as-cast materials, which were then quantitatively related to average free volume differences. These results can be used to characterize the average free volume in this alloy for future mechanical property studies. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.