Microstructural Transformations of an Amorphous Fe90 Zr10 Alloy Induced by High-Energy Ball-Milling

Mechanically induced crystallization of an amorphous Fe90Zr10 alloy was studied by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Under high-energy ball-milling in an AGO-2 mill, melt-spun Fe90Zr10 ribbons undergo crystallization into BCC α- Fe(Zr). Zr atoms are found to be solved in the Fe(Zr) grains up to a maximum supersaturation of about 3.5 at.% Zr, where it can be presumed that the remaining Zr atoms are segregated in the grainboundaries. The decomposition degree of the amorphous phase increases with increasing milling time and intensity. It is proposed that the observed crystallization is deformation-induced and rather not attribute to local temperature rises during ball-collisions.