Shear-band thickness and shear-band cavities in a Zr-based metallic glass

• Published in: Acta materialia Vol. 140; no. C; pp. 206 - 216
• Main Authors: Liu, C., Roddatis, V., Kenesei, P., Maaß, R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Ltd 01-11-2017; Elsevier
• Subjects: Cavities; MATERIALS SCIENCE; Metallic glass; Shear bands; Transmission electron microscopy; X-ray tomography; X-ray tomography; Cavities; Transmission electron microscopy; Metallic glass; Shear bands
• ISSN: 1359-6454; 1873-2453
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2017.08.032

Strain localization into shear bands in metallic glasses is typically described as a mechanism that occurs at the nano-scale, leaving behind a shear defect with a thickness of 10–20 nm. Here we sample the structure of a single system-spanning shear band that has carried all plastic flow with high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) and high-energy x-ray tomography (XRT). It is found that the shear-band thickness and the density change relative to the matrix sensitively depend on position along the shear band. A wide distribution of shear-band thickness (10 nm–210 nm) and density change (−1% to −12%) is revealed. There is no obvious correlation between shear-band thickness and density change, but larger thicknesses correspond typically to higher density changes. More than 100 micron-size shear-band cavities were identified on the shear-band plane, and their three-dimensional arrangement suggests a strongly fluctuating local curvature of the shear plane. These findings urge for a more complex view of a shear band than a simple nano-scale planar defect.
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