Effect of Nb on the glass-forming ability of mechanically alloyed Fe-Ni-Zr-B alloys

Glass formation by mechanical alloying was achieved in a multicomponent Fe-based alloy system of composition Fe42Ni28Zr10-xNbxB20. It was shown that addition of Nb has increased the glass-forming ability, measured in terms of the milling time required to produce the alloy in the glassy state. This effect seems to be most prominent when 2 at.% Nb was added. Additionally, it was noted that glass formation was accompanied by contraction of the crystalline lattice. (C) 2007 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.