Kinetics of shear banding in a bulk metallic glass monitored by acoustic emission measurements

Abstract

Detailed acoustic emission (AE) and surface microscopy investigations of the kinetics of shear banding in bulk Zr_52.5Ti₅Cu_17.9Ni_14.6Al₁₀ metallic glass at room temperature are presented. The shear band propagates in a jump-like mode as reflected by numerous AE bursts. The time distribution and cluster statistical analysis of AE time series revealed, firstly, that there are two shear banding processes notably different in their spatial scales and, secondly, that formation of shear bands at large strains can be correlated in time and space. Independence of the AE characteristics on the current stress magnitude implies that shear band propagation could not be interpreted as a shear front motion in a viscous Newtonian-like medium. The AE response to shear banding is to a certain extent similar to that of a moving dislocation pile-up escaping to a free surface. It is emphasized that AE and microscopic features of shear banding in the bulk metallic glass are very nearly the same as those found earlier for melt-spun ribbon glasses, indicating that the change in the quenching rate by about four orders of magnitude does not cause the kinetics of shear band nucleation and propagation to vary considerably.

Acknowledgement

One of the authors (V.A.K.) gratefully acknowledges the support of the US Civilian Research and Development Foundation for the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union under award RP1-2320-VO-02.