The melt spinning of Fe₈₀P₁₆C₃B₁ alloy is carried out by making use of the spinability of glass and a continuous alloy filament, about 5μ in diameter, is produced at a winding speed of 477 m/min.
X-ray and electron diffraction patterns of the filament show diffused broad peaks characteristic of amorphous phases. The crystallization process of the filament is examined and a metastable bcc structure is observed for the filament annealed at 350°C for 30 min and the stable phase of Fe,Fe₃ (C,B) and Fe₃P for the filament annealed at 500°C for 30 min.
The mechanical properties are measured in tension with an Instron type machine for the amorphous filament and the filament annealed at 500°C for 30 min. The brittle behavior is observed for both filaments. The Young’s modulus of the amorphous filament is much lower than that of the crystallized filament. The size effect on the strength of the filament is apparent and the strength in the amorphous state is higher than that in the crystalline state at the same diameter; for example, a tensile strength of 250 kg/mm² for the amorphous filament and 130 kg/mm² for the crystallized filament for a diameter of 4.5μ. Fracture surfaces of the amorphous filament consist of a smooth region produced by shearing and a vein pattern first reported by Leamy et al.