Fabrication of Mg-based bulk metallic glasses by pressure die casting method

The studied Mg-Cu-Y ternary alloy system exhibits high glass forming ability and investigations on such system have made great progress in study of Mg-based alloys since 1990’s. Bulk amorphous Mg65Cu25Y10 alloy is obtained with maximum 10 mm thickness by high pressure die-casting. Mg-based bulk metallic glasses have much higher tensile, fracture strength and Vickers hardness and much lower Young’s modulus in contrast to crystalline magnesium alloys. A three-stage process for the preparation of metallic glasses allows the production elements in the form of rods with diameter of 2 mm and 1.5 mm. The final stage of fabrication of Mg65Cu25Y10 BMG is pressure die casting method into a water-cooled copper mold under a protective gas. The amorphous of the Mg65Cu25Y10 rods are examined by using X-ray diffraction and differential thermal analysis. The fracture surface of Mg65Cu25Y10 amorphous rod in as-cast state is tested by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis.