A new approach for measuring the pressure sensitivity index of Zr-based metallic glasses using indentation tests

Abstract

Indentation tests have been employed to characterise the pressure-dependent deformation behaviour of two Zr-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), and the pressure sensitivity index of the alloys determined on the basis of measurement of the included angles (2θ) between the two families of shear bands. The nanoindentation P–h curves of the alloys having different pressure sensitivity indexes were measured and compared with the results obtained by finite-element simulations. It is found that the experimental P – h curves are in good agreement with the simulated ones, and the included angles (2θ) and the P – h curves of the alloys depend markedly on the pressure sensitivity index. This dependence can be exploited to determine the pressure sensitivity index using indentation tests.

Keywords:

• bulk metallic glass
• pressure sensitivity index
• indentation test

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos 10972190 and 10872177), the Hunan Provincial Nature Science Foundation of China (No. 09JJ3086) and the State Key Lab of Advanced Metals Materials (No. EG512677781CN).