Thermodynamic assessment of the Al–Ni–Gd glass-forming system

The thermodynamics of the Al–Ni–Gd system in its Al-rich corner were assessed using the calculation of phase diagrams (CALPHAD) approach. Parameters describing the Gibbs free energy of various phases of the Al–Ni–Gd systems were manually optimized in this study. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) of 46 alloys yielded critical temperatures pertaining to the solid–liquid equilibria. Model-calculated phase equilibria and phase boundaries gave good agreement with DTA data from this study. Calculations of phase fraction vs. temperature agreed closely with the microstructure of alloys cooled after isothermal holding at intermediate temperatures.