Correlations between elastic moduli and properties in bulk metallic glasses

A survey of the elastic, mechanical, fragility, and thermodynamic properties of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) and glass-forming liquids is presented. It is found that the elastic moduli of BMGs have correlations with the glass transition temperature, melting temperature, mechanical properties, and even liquid fragility. On the other hand, the elastic constants of available BMGs show a rough correlation with a weighted average of the elastic constants for the constituent elements. Although the theoretical and physical reasons for the correlations are to be clarified, these correlations could assist in understanding the long-standing issues of glass formation and the nature of glass and simulate the work of theorists. Based on the correlation, we show that the elastic moduli can assist in selecting alloying components for controlling the elastic properties and glass-forming ability of the BMGs and thus can guide BMG design. As case study, we report the formation of the families of rare-earth-based BMGs with controllable properties. (C) 2006 American Institute of Physics.