Calculation of glass forming ranges in Al-Ni-RE (Ce, La, Y) ternary alloys and their sub-binaries based on Miedema's model

A method based on the semi-empirical Miedema's and Toop's model for calculating the glass forming range of a ternary alloy system was systematically described. The method is superior to conventional models by considering the effect of the thermodynamic asymmetric component when dealing with a ternary alloy system. Using this method, the glass forming ranges of Al-Ni-RE (Ce, La, Y) systems and their sub-binaries were successfully predicted. The mixing enthalpy and mismatch entropy were calculated, and their effects on the glass forming abilities of Al-Ni-RE (Ce, La, Y) systems were also discussed. The glass forming abilities of Al-Ni-Ce, Al-Ni-La and Al-Ni-Y are found to be close. The calculated glass forming ranges agree with experiments well. Meanwhile, the enthalpy change from amorphous phase to solid solution in the glass forming ranges was calculated, and the results suggest that those alloys close to the Ni-RE sub-binary system have higher glass forming abilities. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.