Near-threshold fatigue crack growth in bulk metallic glass composites

A major drawback in using bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) as structural materials is their extremely poor fatigue performance. One way to alleviate this problem is through the composite route, in which second phases are introduced into the glass to arrest crack growth. In this paper, the fatigue crack growth behavior of in situ reinforced BMGs with crystalline dendrites, which are tailored to impart significant ductility and toughness to the BMG, was investigated. Three composites, all with equal volume fraction of dendrite phases, were examined to assess the influence of chemical composition on the near-threshold fatigue crack growth characteristics. While the ductility is enhanced at the cost of yield strength vis-à-vis that of the fully amorphous BMG, the threshold stress intensity factor range for fatigue crack initiation in composites was found to be enhanced by more than 100%. Crack blunting and trapping by the dendritic phases and constraining of the shear bands within the interdendritic regions are the micromechanisms responsible for this enhanced fatigue crack growth resistance

Nanoindentation studies on waveguides inscribed in chalcogenide glasses using ultrafast laser

Optical straight waveguides are inscribed in GeGaS and GeGaSSb glasses using a high repetition-rate sub-picosecond laser. The mechanical properties of the glasses in the inscribed regions, which have undergone photo induced changes, have been evaluated by using the nanoindentation technique. Results show that the hardness and elastic modulus of the photo-modified glasses are significantly lower as compared to the other locations in the waveguide, which tend to be similar to those of the unexposed areas. The observed mechanical effects are found to correlate well with the optical properties of the waveguides. Further, based on the results, the minimum threshold values of hardness and elastic modulus for the particular propagation mode of the waveguide (single or multi), has been established

Mode I crack tip fields in amorphous materials with application to metallic glasses

In this work, stationary crack tip fields in amorphous materials such as metallic glasses under mode I loading are studied to understand the factors that control crack tip plasticity and in turn impart toughness to those materials. For this purpose, finite element simulations under plane strain, small scale yielding conditions are performed. A continuum elastic-viscoplastic constitutive theory, which accounts for pressure sensitivity of plastic flow as well as the localization of plastic strain into discrete shear bands, is employed to represent the material behavior. The influence of internal friction and strain softening on the plastic zone, stress and deformation fields and notch opening profile is examined. It is found that higher internal friction leads to a larger plastic zone. Also, it enhances the plastic strain ahead of the notch tip but leads to a substantial decrease in the opening stress. Thus, it appears that a higher friction parameter promotes toughening of amorphous solids. The shear band patterns within the plastic zone and brittle crack trajectories around the notch root generated from the simulations match qualitatively with those observed in experiments

Subsurface deformation during Vickers indentation of bulk metallic glasses

Bonded interface technique was employed to examine the nature of subsurface deformation during Vickers indentation in two kinds of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), Pd42.1Ni39.77P18.13, and Zr56.69Cu26.96Al10.95Ni5.4. Quantitative information such as the shear band spacing, pile-up length, subsurface deformation zone size etc. was recorded for indentation loads ranging from 50 to 5000 g. Experimental results show that both the BMGs have an average hardness value of ~550 VHN with slightly higher hardness at low loads. Observations of deformation zones indicate that they deform appreciably through the shear band mechanism. For both bulk indentation, as well as the interface indentation, the normalized size of the deformation zone was found to be independent of the applied load. Two types of shear bands, radial, and semi-circular in nature, have been observed. These results are compared with similar studies made on ductile metals and silicate glasses

Deformation morphology underneath the vickers indent in a Zr-based bulk metallic glass

Hardness and plastic deformation during Vickers indentation in as-cast, annealed, and fully crystallized Zr57Cu27Al11Ni5 bulk metallic glass was examined. Subsurface deformation morphology under the indenter tip was studied at various loads and for different annealing time. Appreciable plastic deformation, through shear banding, occurs in the as-cast and annealed alloys. Two different types of shear bands are observed. Their occurrence depends upon the amount of annealing and hence on the extent of crystallization. The fully crystallized alloy exhibits extensive cracking. Trends in the deformation zone size with load are consistent with the expanding cavity model, while the shear band morphology, particularly for the as-cast sample, attests the qualitative applicability of the slip line field theory

Effect of hydrogen on the nanomechanical behavior of dual-phase nanocrystalline high-entropy alloy

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On the variability in fracture toughness of ‘ductile’ bulk metallic glasses

The mode I fracture toughness, K_(Ic), of ductile bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) exhibits a high degree of specimen-to-specimen variability. By conducting fracture experiments in modes I and II, we demonstrate that the observed high variability in mode I, vis-à-vis mode II, is a result of highly variable propensity for the conversion of shear bands into cracks in mode I whereas in mode II, crack growth direction is fixed. Thus, the measured variability in K_(Ic) is intrinsic to the nature of BMGs