Internal friction and the young's modulus change associated with amorphous to nanocrystalline phase transition in Mg-Ni-Y alloy

The internal friction and Young's modulus of amorphous Mg₈₄Ni_12.5Y_3.5 alloy obtained by the melt spinning technique have been measured by a vibrating reed method at heating and cooling runs from 300K to 625K. The crystallization kinetics of the alloy was studied by the calorimetric methods. The structure of the samples was determined by the X-ray diffraction technique. The Young's modulus measurements have revealed its significant (up to 50%) irreversible multi-step changes accompanied by the irreversible internal friction peaks. These changes were observed in the same temperature intervals where the anomalies of thermal properties were found out. The results obtained are explained by the structural rearrangement (mainly, a topological ordering and crystallization processes) from amorphous to nanocrystalline state.