Microhardness and abrasive wear resistance of metallic glasses and nanostructured composite materials

The present paper reports on as-cast bulk zirconium-based, lanthanum-based and palladium-based metallic glasses and on melt-spun aluminum-based amorphous ribbons. Their glass forming abilities, nano(quasi)crystallization mechanisms and mechanical properties are discussed through a short review of very recent papers and by the presentation of some experimental results. The tribological aspect such as microhardness and abrasive wear resistance are more particularly investigated for their potential applications technologically useful as coatings. The formation of nanostructured composite materials consisting of nanophase particles embedded in a residual amorphous matrix by appropriate thermal treatments is also studied and the influence of the nanocrystallized volume fraction is evaluated and discussed for both hardness and wear resistance. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.