Interaction between parallel shear bands in a metallic glass

We present molecular dynamics simulations in a large CuZr metallic glass sample that allows the linking of the structural properties of a single shear band to the presence of other subsequently forming parallel shear bands. In a closely controlled study, we observe that the subsequent formation of parallel shear bands restores the disrupted icosahedral matrix in the core of previously formed shear bands, i.e., the shear-band core structure is partially relaxed to the original bulk level. The relaxation caused by the interaction between shear bands also manifests in a reduction of the potential energy and in an eventual return of previous plastic regions called shear transformation zones.