The liquidus univariant lines of the Fe-Nb-B ternary system have been thermodynamically calculated by means of CALPHAD method and Fe-based thermodynamic data. It is found that there are two eutectic reactions in the Fe-rich corner,that is,（1） L（Fe-3Nb-15B） →α＋γ＋ M2B （1430 K）,and （2） L（Fe-10Nb-27B） → FeB ＋ Lc14 ＋ M2B （1575 K）. Moreover,the eutectic points are very close to the compositions with high glass forming ability determined experimentally. This means that it is feasible to design the compositions of multicomponent bulk metallic glasses by looking for the eutectic points in the Fe-Nb-B system by means of thermodynamic calculation.
Designing and synthesis of cost effective bulk metallic glasses （BMGs） has been of considerable interest during the last decade so that they can be made commercially viable. Among these, Zr-based BMGs have been reported extensively due to their attractive properties, An alloy having composition Zr65Cu18Ni9A18 was designed and synthesized using 2-3 N pure materials by Cu mould casting. The alloy was characterized by X- ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy （EDS） and high temperature differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）. Thermal parameters like supercooled liquid region △Tx, reduced glass transition temperature Trg, γ and δ parameters were evaluated. Mechanical properties like microhardness, nanohardness, elastic modulus and fracture strength were measured. The alloy showed wide supercooled liquid region of 129＋1 K with improved thermal stability. The alloy has considerable fracture strength along with fair amount of ductility.
