Short range ordering in rapidly quenched Fe83P17 amorphous alloys

Mössbauer spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry and differential scanning calorimetry were used to study the effect of the preparation parameters on the short range ordering of Fe₈₃P₁₇ amorphous alloys. The samples were quenched with different quenching rates from the melt which was kept either at 1100°C or 1250°C for 20 min. The short range order of the amorphous samples was found to depend on the quenching rate due to the relaxation taking place during rapid quenching of the melt. In one case, in the sample quenched with the lowest quenching rate from the melt of 1250°C, crystalline phases identified as Fe₃P and -Fe were also found. This phase separation can be understood by taking into consideration the effect of both the melt temperature and the quenching rate. In this case, the cooling time can be long enough for separation of the phases which can be expected within the range of 1040–1250°C according to the phase diagram.