Mechanics of Advanced

Materials Research Group

ANISH ROY
VAHID NEKOUIE
GAYAN ABEYGUNAWARDANE-ARACHCHIGE
VADIM SILBERSCHMIDT
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What is a Bulk Metallic Glass?

amorphous material: atoms frozen in non-crystalline form
first formed in 1957 by Duwez by rapid quenching
gold-silicon alloy
only very thin, small samples could be produced (order or micrometers)

first believed atoms were randomly packed together densely like hard spheres
in a liquid
solvent atoms randomly arranged with solute atoms fitting into open cavities

now believe short-range, even medium-range order exists in materials

Sheng et al. (2006), Nature

What is a Bulk Metallic Glass?

BMG

Compared to metals in general, BMGs

have high strength, f and low
stiffness, E

Unusually high Elastic Strain, f/E

Very high Elastic stored energy

From: Material selection in mechanical design, MF Ashby (1999)

Applications
Micro components in
MEMS devices

Digital light processor, hinges

made of Ti-Al metallic glass with
no fatigue failure after 1012 cycles.

LENGTH SCALES
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Introduction & Motivation

Deformation mechanisms of metallic glass are unique

plastic shear flow in the micro scale, but brittle fracture in macro scale
At ambient temperatures/high stress: flow localization in shear bands (SB)
At high temperatures/low stress: homogeneous viscous flow

Research Objectives

Experiments: study SB initiation and evolution under loads. Characterise SBs

mechanically.
Modelling: Develop a continuum model of SB initiation and propagation,
which can then be used to study component deformations across length
scales

What is a Shear band?

Localised thin bands (~ 10 - 20 nm).
Cohesion is maintained across the planes.
Propagation is inhomogeneous
Propagation depends on loading conditions, sample imperfection.
Origin of SB is controversial: structural change? Temperature rise? Localised melting?

Source nature materials

BMG alloy and experiments

BMG alloy manufactured at IFW/Dresden

Zr48Cu36Al8Ag8
Samples: 70 mm 10 mm 2 mm ; 40 mm 30 mm 1.5 mm

Characterisation (is it actually amorphous?)

No obvious presence of
crystalline phases

X-ray diffraction (XRD)

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Experiment : 3 point bending

E
(GPa)

y
(MPa)

95.4

0.345

930

Vein like structures on the surface

Compression

3mm

Tension

100 m

Experiment : 3 point bending

E
(GPa)

y
(MPa)

95.4

0.345

930

10 m
400 m

Shear Bands are evident

Nano-indentation studies
Objective: To assess if there is any difference in the mechanical characteristics of the
fracture surface in comparison to the bulk material

Vickers indentation
Total load 100 mN
Loading rate 2 mN/s

Fracture surface is noticeably weaker than the bulk material

There is a large variation of the mechanical properties on the fractured surface

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Fractured surface analysis

Indentation Load = 500 mN

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Wedge indentation studies

Why wedge?
Observing shear bands in Nano/Microindentation is difficult
o Shear bands initial in the material volume
o Bonded interface method is not ideal
With a Wedge we have a 2D plane-strain scenario
Observe shear bands terminating on the surface as they initiation and evolve.
Relatively easy to setup
Easy to model

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Wedge indentation: Experimental steps

Ra = 2 to 3 nm

1. Sample cut and polished

2. Loaded into a custom rig
Zygo Talisurf

BMG

Spring

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Wedge indentation: details

Incremental loading: 1 KN to 3 KN
Deformation mode: Compression
Displacement rate: 0.5 mm/min
Indenter: HSS
1kN

22 m

60 m

50 m

400 m

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Wedge indentation: Results (SEM)

50 m

85m

22 m

1-2kN

1kN
60 m

50 m

400 m

1-2-3kN

60 m

60 m

85 m

130m

400 m

400 m

Wedge indentation: Load-Displacement Curve

Single load, different locations

Incremental load, same location

~ 50m

~22 m

Area under the curve will give us work done for plastic deformation

Shear Bands: XRD results

XRD results are inconclusive since crystalline phases < 5% is hard to detect

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Shear Band analysis/ TEM + SAED

FIB
milling
TEM/SAED sample

Crystalline material

Shear Bands are fully

amorphous

Virgin Sample

Shear Band
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Nano-indentation studies on a Shear Band

Vickers indentation
Total load 100 mN
Loading rate 2 mN/s

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Nano-indentation studies on a Shear Band

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/Finite Element Modelling

MODELLING OF WEDGE INDENTATION

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Microscale modelling Bulk material

Drucker Prager : hydrostatic stress component is considered.

Captures the rise of shear strength with the increase of hydrostatic pressure
increase. Major cause for adoption.

2 1
constant for a given material
hardening and softening function

J2 second deviatoric stress invariant

I1 first stress invariant

ABAQUS 6.12 is used to model

Linear Drucker - Prager criterion is used:
= Here: =
1
2

To calculate, and : = q 1 + 1

and =
3

1
3

and = 1

= , =
=
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Microscale modelling Shear band

Cohesive Zone Elements with traction separation law.

Shear band thickness lies in the ~nm scale. This fact prompt to employ
traction separation laws.

Linear elastic behaviour

= , = ,
0
0

Damage initiation criterion

Nominator calculated by the solver,

=1

Traction Separation response

Denominator is user input dependent.

effective displacement at complete failure,

Linear damage evolution

effective displacement at damage initiation

effective traction at damage initiation,

maximum value of the effective displacement

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FE model

2D Plain Strain

BC: bottom rigid

Wedge Indenter Radius: 43 m

FE Model Dimension: (2000 2000 ) m
Displacement Given to Indenter: 4 m to 10 m
Element type:
Bulk Specimen and indenter CPE4R

Shear bands COH2D4

Wedge Indenter: Deformable Body
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FE model Material Properties

Material Properties for bulk metallic glass
E (GPa)
95.4

0.345

Drucker-Prager parameters
Angle of
friction()

Flow stress
ratio

Dilation angle ()

0.01

0.02

Hardening

Yield stress (MPa)

Plastic strain

930

Shear damage parameters

Fracture
strain

Shear stress
ratio

Strain rate ( s-1 )

0.05

0.016

Material Properties for deformable indenter (HSS)

E (GPa)
231

0.30

Material properties for CZE were chosen by sensitivity analysis.

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FE model: Results
Damage initiation and propagation through the shear band

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Outlook & Future Work

SB and Fracture surface are weaker than bulk material
SB are amorphous rules out melting
Cohesive Zone Elements can be used to determined the
propagation along the shear band.

A gradient plasticity based approach is currently being developed

to capture the nucleation and the effect of the local shear bands.

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FE model

2D Plain Strain

BC: bottom rigid

Wedge Indenter Radius: 21 m

FE Model Dimension: (2000 2000 ) m
Element type:
Bulk Specimen and indenter CPE4R
Shear bands COH2D4

Wedge Indenter: Deformable Body

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