Mechanical properties and deformation behavior of Zr-based bulk metallic glass composites reinforced with tungsten fibers or tungsten powders

The tungsten fibers or powders reinforced Zr52Cu32Ni6Al10, (Zr52Cu32Ni6Al10)98Nb2, and (Zr52Cu32Ni6Al10)98Be2 bulk metallic glass composites (BMGCs) were fabricated using the infiltration casting method. In this study, the wettability between the amorphous alloy melts and tungsten substrates was investigated using the sessile drop method, revealing excellent wettability at 1,010 °C. Consequently, an infiltration temperature of 1,010 °C was chosen for composite material fabrication. Structural characterization and mechanical property test of both composites were conducted through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), and universal mechanical testing. Both tungsten fiber or tungsten powder reinforced Zr52Cu32Ni6Al10 and (Zr52Cu32Ni6Al10)98Be2 composites exhibit the formation of W-Zr phase. In contrast, the tungsten fiber or tungsten powder reinforced (Zr52Cu32Ni6Al10)98Nb2 composites does not show the formation of W-Zr phase. X-ray diffraction patterns confirm the presence of W reinforcement phases in both composites. The successful fabrication of both composites is evidenced by their remarkable mechanical properties under room temperature compression. The yield strength of all the three tungsten fiber-reinforced composite sample exceeds 2,400 MPa, with the plastic strain exceeding 3.9%, while the yield strength of all the three tungsten powder-reinforced composite sample surpasses 2,700 MPa, with the plastic strain exceeding 30%. Fracture analysis reveals longitudinal splitting in the tungsten fiber-reinforced composites, contrasting with brittle fracture in the tungsten powder-reinforced composites. The denser the shear bands on the amorphous matrix of the two types of composite materials, the better their mechanical properties.