Revealing of qualitative correlation between mechanical properties and structure of amorphous-nanocrystalline metallic alloy 82K3XCP by microindentation on substrates and x-ray powder diffraction

Abstract

In this paper we adduce experimental results showing qualitative correlation between structure and mechanical properties of metallic alloy 82K3XCP within a range of annealing temperatures up to 1183 K. Specimens were made of industrial material (amorphous metallic glass) and represented thin films (20x10x0.03 mm). They were annealed in an oven and then their mechanical properties and structures were defined by microindentation on different polymer substrates and X- ray powder technique. X-ray study exposes a complicated phase transformation process within the temperature range, which includes four different structural states: amorphous, two metastable, and "stable". Average particle size was estimated to be 30-50 nm according to broadening of diffraction maximum. Microindentation tests indicate two maximums of Vickers microhardness, whose locations correspond to the metastable structural states independently on the used substrate material. These allows us to conclude following. It is possible to observe directly qualitative correlation between structure and mechanical properties of metallic nanomaterial - annealed metallic glass. Used method of microindentation is structure-sensitive. Registered X-ray patterns draw detailed picture of the complicated phase transformation process, which needs to be investigated further. Discussed correlation allows us to suppose existence of similar correlation between structure and chemical, electromagnetic, or other macroscopic properties of the material.