Avalanches in CuZrAl metallic glasses

TL;DR

This study investigates avalanche phenomena in CuZrAl metallic glasses through simulations, revealing critical behavior near yield and universal post-yield stress drops, aligning with experimental observations.

Contribution

It provides a detailed simulation analysis of avalanches in CuZrAl metallic glasses, highlighting critical behavior and universality in stress drops.

Findings

Avalanches occur near the yield point in CuZrAl glasses.

Post-yield stress drops are universal across compositions.

Gap distribution becomes flat at yield.

Abstract

Metallic glasses have mechanical properties, which exhibit avalanches in the disguise of stress drops. We study these phenomena in a classical metallic glass system CuZrAl by athermal quasistatic shear and varying the element concentrations and for pure CuZr 50/50 case the cooling rate. The resulting mechanical properties are close to the behaviour found experimentally. At small strains, the pristine systems are akin to other glassy systems with a so-called gap distribution with a small positive exponent. Critical avalanching behaviour is found only approaching the yield point. The post-yield stress drops are universal, and the gap distribution becomes flat.