The effect of melt temperature on the crystallization process of the rapidly quenched Fe₇₄B₁₆Si₉Ni₁ alloy

The crystallization process of amorphous Fe₇₄B₁₆Si₉Ni₁ was studied by means of X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and resistivity measurements. It was found experimentally, that superheating the melt above liquidus results in a lowering of activation energy for crystallization and in a modification of the crystallization mechanism. On the first crystallization stage some orthorhombic Fe₃B formed additionally to Fe₃B (tetr) and bcc solid solution of silicon in iron. Second stage realized mainly by the formation of metastable Fe₃B (tetr) and α–Fe(Si) instead of Fe₂B (tetr) and α–Fe(Si). The observed changes in the crystallization behavior have been proposed as being linked with the structural transformation in the initial liquid alloy at 1400°C and structural inheritance during its rapid quenching.