The glass forming region in the B2O3-Al2O3-Y2O3 composition diagram has been determined by a melting and quenching procedure at temperatures up to 1800 degrees C. Different physical characteristics (density, coefficient of thermal expansion, glass transition and crystallization peak temperatures) have been determined for a 35B(2)O(3)-40Al(2)O(3)-25Y(2)O(3) glass composition (in mot.%). By using a predictive model and some NMR structural data, different elastic moduli (Young's modulus, bulk modulus, shear modulus and Poisson's ratio) have been calculated. The devitrification behaviour has also been studied. Internal crystallization is the dominant mechanism and a new (Y, Al)BO3 ternary phase has been characterized by X-ray powder diffraction. The temperature and time nucleation dependence have been determined from DTA experiments as well as the crystallization kinetics (i.e. the Avrami exponent and the activation energy for crystal growth). (c) 2006 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.