Influence of pressures on the crystallization process of an amorphous Fe73.5Cu1Nb3Si13.5B9 alloy

Amorphous Fe73.5Cu1Nb3Si13.5B9 alloys, prepared by a melt-spinning technique, were annealed at a temperature of 823 K under pressures in the range of 1-5 GPa and ambient pressure. The high pressure experiments were carried out in a belt-type pressure apparatus. The microstructure of the annealed alloys has been investigated by x-ray diffraction, electron diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Experimental results show that the initial crystalline phase in these annealed alloys is alpha-Fe solid solution (named as alpha-Fe phase below), and high pressure has a great influence on the crystallization process of the alpha-Fe phase. The grain size of the alpha-Fe phase decreases with the increase of pressure (P). The volume fraction of the alpha-Fe phase increases with increasing the pressure as the pressure is below 2 GPa, and then decreases (P>2 GPa). The mechanism for the effects of the high pressure on the crystallization process of amorphous Fe73.5Cu1Nb3Si13.5B9 alloy and latent applications of high-pressure annealing amorphous Fe73.5Cu1Nb3Si13.5B9 alloy have been discussed. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(98)09716-3]