Deformation and Fracture Behavior of Metallic Glassy Alloys and Glassy-Crystal Composites

The present work demonstrates the deformation behavior of Zr-Cu-Ni-Al bulk glassy alloys and Zr-Ni-Cu-Al-Pd glassy foils as well as Ni-Cu-Ti-Zr bulk crystal-glassy composites. Fracture of Zr60Cu16Ni14Al10 and Zr64.13Ni10.12Cu15.75Al10 bulk glassy alloys is featured by nearly equal fraction areas of cleavage-like and vein-type relief. The observed pattern of alternating cleavage-like and vein-type patterns illustrates a result of dynamically self-organizing shear propagation at the final catastrophic stage. The deformation behavior of Zr64.13Ni10.12Cu15.75Al10 alloy has also been tested at LN2 temperature. The strength of the sample decreases with temperature, and no clear serrated flow typical for bulk glassy samples tested at room temperature is observed in the case of the samples tested at LN2 temperature. We also studied the deformation behavior of Zr-Ni-Cu-Al-Pd glassy foils thinned to electron transparency in situ in tension in a transmission electron microscope. We also present a Ni-Cu-Ti-Zr crystal-glassy composite material having a superior strength paired with a considerable ductility exceeding 10 pct. The metastable cP2 crystalline phase promotes a strain-induced martensitic transformation leading to pseudoelastic behavior as well as enhanced plasticity at room temperature. Underlying mechanisms of plastic deformation are discussed in terms of the interplay between the dislocation slip in the crystalline phase and the shear deformation in the glassy matrix.