ATOMIC VOLUMES AND MAGNETIC-PROPERTIES OF MELT-QUENCHED (ZR, HF)(10)(FE, CO, NI)(90) TYPE METASTABLE ALLOYS

Density measurements were performed on melt-quenched (Zr, Hf)(10)(Fe, Co, Ni)(90) type metastable alloys and were compared to previously rep orted data. For the amorphous Zr-Fe and Zr-Co alloys, a sufficient amo unt of data allowed us to establish a linear composition dependence of the average atomic Volume with a common atomic volume of Zr for both Fe and Co. This Zr atomic volume was 21.50 Angstrom(3) atom(-1) in con trast to the corresponding value (23.50 Angstrom(3) atom(-1)) deduced previously for Zr-rich compositions of Zr-(Fe, Co, Ni) glasses. For th e Zr-Fe metallic glasses, some conclusions could be drawn concerning t he observed unusual magnetic behaviour of these alloys on the basis of a comparison of the average atomic volume of Fe in the amorphous stat e to the critical Fe atomic volume separating the two magnetic states of face-centered cubic Fe. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.