The effects of initial welding temperature and welding parameters on the crystallization behaviors of laser spot welded Zr-based bulk metallic glass

This study investigated the effects of the initial welding temperature (IWT) and welding parameters on the crystallization behaviors of laser spot welded (Zr₅₃Cu₃₀Ni₉Al₈)Si _0.5 bulk metallic glass (BMG). After the welding process, the microstructure evolution, glass-forming ability (GFA) and mechanical properties of the welded samples were determined by a combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the Vicker's micro-hardness test. The results showed that the heat-affected zone (HAZ) crystallization seemed avoidable under the room temperature welding process. However, with a combination of a lower energy input (welding Condition C) and a lower IWT (at 0 °C), a crystallization-free HAZ was finally obtained. Using the above welding condition into the refined heat flow equation, a critical retention time of 79 ms for the crystallization temperature interval was estimated. Moreover, as the laser welded samples came to crystallization in the HAZ, it was observed that a higher content of spherical-type crystalline precipitates tended to result in a higher value of glass transition temperature, T_g. Therefore, the GFA indices, ΔT_x, γ and γ_m, were reduced. Furthermore, it was found that the micro-hardness value in the HAZ crystallization area was decreased due to the massive cracks formed in most parts of the crystalline precipitates. For a crystallization-free HAZ, the hardness seemed unaffected.