A HIGHLY PROCESSABLE METALLIC-GLASS - ZR41.2TI13.8CU12.5NI10.0BE22.5

We report on the properties of one example of a new family of metallic alloys which exhibit excellent glass forming ability. The critical cooling rate to retain the glassy phase is of the order of 10 K/s or less. Large samples in the form of rods ranging up to 14 mm in diameter have been prepared by casting in silica containers. The undercooled liquid alloy has been studied over a wide range of temperatures between the glass transition temperature and the thermodynamic melting point of the equilibrium crystalline alloy using scanning calorimetry. Crystallization of the material has been studied. Some characteristic properties of the new material are presented. The origins of exceptional glass forming ability of these new alloys are discussed.