Formation of porous metallic glass compacts by electro-discharge sintering

A single pulse of 0.1-0.9 kJ/0.45 g atomized amorphous Cu(54)Zr(22)Ti(18)Ni(6) powders in size range of 90-150 mu m was applied to fabricate porous metallic glass compacts using electro-discharge sintering (EDS) with 3 and 4mmin diameter. The structural and thermal analysis of the samples indicated that formation of the porous metallic glass compacts occurs only when low electrical input energy was induced on the amorphous powders. Furthermore, the critical input energy inducing crystallization of the amorphous phase during EDS is strongly dependent on the size of the sample. (C) 2011 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.