Experimental investigation of phase equilibria in the Zr-Cu-Ni ternary system

The phase equilibria in the Zr-Cu-Ni ternary system are investigated combined with X-ray diffraction, electron probe micro-analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. Two isothermal sections of the Zr-Cu-Ni ternary system at 1 000 C and 1 100 C are experimentally established. Most of the binary intermetallic compounds, e.g. Zr₇Ni₁₀, ZrNi, ZrNi₅, Zr₁₄Cu₅₁, and Zr₂Cu₉, show a remarkable ternary solubility. A new ternary compound named τ₃ (Zr_31.1-30.7 . Cu_28.5-40.3Ni_40.4-29.0) is detected at 1 000 C and dissolved at 1 020 C because the nearby large liquid phase field further expands. The newly determined phase equilibria will provide important information for both thermodynamic assessment and alloy design of Zr-based metallic glass.