Influence of mutual substitution between La and Gd on the glass-forming ability of Al–Ni–La–Gd alloys

Abstract

A series of Al100–a–bNia(La1–xGdx)b alloys, where a=9–10, b=4.5–5.5 and x=0–1, were suction cast under identical conditions into a wedge-shaped copper mold for investigating the compositional dependence of glass-forming ability (GFA). The GFA of the ternary alloys, except for the optimal glass former (Al85.5Ni9.5La(Gd)5), is enhanced when a given rare earth element (La or Gd) is partially substituted by the other. The mutual substitution content between La and Gd for the optimal GFA increases with a decrease in Ni content. The enhancement of GFA by the mutual substitution between La and Gd was interpreted based on Miracle’s model of atom packing efficiency.