Effect of boron on the amorphization of Zr-Ti-Ni-Cu alloy

The mechanical alloying process continually deforms, cold welds, and breaks apart metal powder particles. During the process of mechanical alloying elemental crystalline powders can produce an amorphous alloyed powder. Consolidation of these powders by powder metallurgy techniques can produce amorphous bulk metals. Two Alloys 62.24 Zr-10.89 Ti-9.71 Ni-13.14 Cu-4.02 B and 64.84 Zr-11.35 Ti-11.12 Ni-13.69 Cu weight percent were mechanically alloyed for 45 hours by a SPEX 800 high energy ball-mill. The changes in structure were monitored by X-ray diffraction after every 5 hours of milling. Both powder compositions became amorphous after 15 hours of milling. New compounds began to form during milling to 35 hours. Milling for longer times produced no further structure changes. The milled samples were annealed at 950{degrees}C for 1 hour which produced a complex set of crystalline materials. The crystalline phases containing boron have larger lattice parameters and less tendency for grain growth. 2 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.