Viscous Flow Behaviors of Supercooled Liquids of Pre-Annealed Zr55Cu30Al10Ni5 Bulk Metallic Glasses

Viscous flow behavior in supercooled liquid region of as-cast and pre-annealed Zr55Cu30Al10Ni5 bulk metallic glasses has been examined by using a penetration viscometer under high-speed heating rate of 20, 200 and 400 °C/min. Applied load for the cylindrical-shaped penetration indenter with a diameter of 1 mm was varied from 0.049 N to 0.294 N. Viscosity was quite independent of these applied loads. By pre-annealing the bulk metallic glasses at 400 °C, the density of the glasses increased, while the viscosity and the activation energy for viscous flow in their soopercooled liquid decreased with the pre-annealing treatments. Corresponding measurements of the differential thermal calorimetry (DSC) have been also done.