AMORPHIZATION OF ZR-AL-NI-CU DURING COLD-ROLLING OF ELEMENTAL FOILS AT AMBIENT-TEMPERATURES

Amorphous samples of a multicomponent Zr-Al-Ni-Cu alloy have been synt hesized at ambient temperature from a layered array of individual elem ental sheets by repeated low-strain-rate cold rolling with intermediat e folding. The alloying reactions during cold rolling were monitored w ith electron and X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis. During the in itial stage of processing a dissolution of solute into Zr together vii th a reduction in grain size to about 30 nm was observed and with furt her processing a fully amorphous sample was obtained after 120 deforma tion cycles. The characteristics of the amorphous phase developed by r epeated cold deformation indicate that it is compositionally homogeneo us, structurally relaxed and without the typical impurity levels obtai ned by mechanical alloying.