An improved amorphous aluminum alloy having high strength, ductility, corrosion resistance and fracture toughness is disclosed. The alloy has an amorphous phase and a coherent L1 2 phase. The alloy has nickel, cerium, at least one of scandium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium; and at least one of gadolinium, yttrium, zirconium, titanium, hafnium, niobium and iron. The volume fraction of the amorphous phase ranges from about 50 percent to about 95 percent and the volume fraction of the coherent L1 2 phase ranges from about 5 percent to about 50 percent.
1. An aluminum alloy having high strength, ductility, corrosion resistance and fracture toughness, comprising:
an amorphous phase aluminum alloy comprising about 4 to 25 weight percent of nickel and about 2 to about 25 weight percent of cerium;
a coherent L1 2 phase comprising:
about 4 to about 25 weight percent nickel and about 2 to about 25 weight percent of cerium,
at least one first element selected from the group consisting of about 0.1 to about 4 weight percent scandium, about 0.1 to about 20 weight percent erbium, about 0.1 to about 15 weight percent thulium, about 0.1 to about 25 weight percent ytterbium, and about 0.1 to about 25 weight percent lutetium;
at least one second element selected from the group consisting of about 2 to about 30 weight percent gadolinium, about 2 to about 30 weight percent yttrium, about 0.5 to about 5 weight percent zirconium, about 0.5 to about 10 weight percent titanium, about 0.5 to about 10 weight percent hafnium, about 0.5 to about 5 weight percent niobium, and about 0.5 to about 15 weight percent iron;
the balance substantially aluminum wherein the volume fraction of the amorphous phase ranges from about 50 percent to about 95 percent and the volume fraction of the coherent L1 2 phase ranges from about 5 percent to about 50 percent.
2. The alloy of claim 1 , comprising no more than about 1 weight percent total impurities.
3. The alloy of claim 1 , comprising no more than about 0.1 weight percent chromium, about 0.1 weight percent manganese, about 0.1 weight percent vanadium, and about 0.1 weight percent cobalt.
4. The alloy of claim 1 , where the alloy is formed by a rapid solidification process.
5. The aluminum alloy of claim 4 , wherein the rapid solidification process has a cooling rate greater that about 10 3 ° C/second.
6. The alloy of claim 5 , wherein the rapid solidification process comprises at least one of powder processing, atomization, melt spinning, splat quenching, spray deposition, cold spray, plasma spray, laser melting and deposition, ball milling and cryomilling.
7. An aluminum alloy having high strength, ductility, corrosion resistance and fracture toughness, comprising:
nickel;
cerium;
at least one first element selected from the group consisting of about 0.1 to about 4 weight percent scandium, about 0.1 to about 20 weight percent erbium, about 0.1 to about 15 weight percent thulium, about 0.1 to about 25 weight percent ytterbium, and about 0.1 to about 25 weight percent lutetium;
at least one second element selected from the group consisting of gadolinium, yttrium, zirconium, titanium, hafnium, niobium and iron; and
the balance substantially aluminum wherein the nickel, cerium and aluminum form an amorphous phase such that the volume fraction of the amorphous phase ranges from about 50 percent to about 95 percent and the at least one first element and the at least one second element form a coherent L1 2 phase such that the volume fraction of the coherent L1 2 phase ranges from about 5 percent to about 50 percent.
8. The alloy of claim 7 , wherein the alloy comprises:
about 4 to about 25 weight percent nickel;
about 2.0 to about 25 weight percent cerium;
at least one first element selected from the group consisting essentially of about 0.1 to about 4 weight percent scandium, about 0.1 to about 20 weight percent erbium, about 0.1 to about 15 weight percent thulium, about 0.1 to about 25 weight percent ytterbium, and about 0.1 to about 25 weight percent lutetium; and
at least one second element selected from the group consisting essentially of about 2 to about 30 weight percent gadolinium, about 2 to about 30 weight percent yttrium, about 0.5 to about 5 weight percent zirconium, about 0.5 to about 10 weight percent titanium, about 0.5 to about 10 weight percent hafnium, about 0.5 to about 5 weight percent niobium, and 0.5 to about 15 weight percent iron.