ABSTRACT
Metallic glass alloys constitute an important new class of materials. Information about structure at the atomic level is difficult to obtain for a glass. The most significant contribution to the understanding of metallic glass properties to come from modelling is the importance of short-range order in the atomic structure. Much of the discussion of the atomic structure of glassy material, in general, and of metallic glass alloys, in particular, is made in terms of data from diffraction experiments, using X-ray, electron, neutron, or a combination of radiations. Some consensus has developed about the elementary aspects of atomic structure, but there is a good bit more work to be done. All physical and chemical properties ultimately depend on atomic interactions. An acceptable model structure must simulate measured material characteristics, such as the interference and radial distribution functions.
