Mechanical Testing of Iron based Bulk Metallic Glasses and Their Suitability for Force Sensors

Thermal, mechanical and magnetic properties of (Fe-Co)-(Zr/Si)-Nb-B alloys in the form of rapidly quenched rods of 1.2 mm in diameter were studied. The as-cast alloys with Zr were crystalline, and the alloys with Si were amorphous. Microhardness measured at 50 g load is from 500 to 2000 HV (the less cobalt, the higher), and the compressive strength reaches nearly 4000 MPa for Si doped alloys and 2000 MPa for Zr doped ones. This substantial difference may be attributed to partial crystallinity of the latter alloys. The magnetic hysteresis loops of fully amorphous rods measured under compression, exhibited a clear dependence of permeability vs. stress, proving that iron-based bulk metallic glasses may be promising materials for magnetoelastic force sensors.