Single shear-band plasticity in a bulk metallic glass at cryogenic temperatures

At cryogenic temperatures bulk metallic glasses can sustain higher plastic strains than at room temperature. This is generally believed to result from an intrinsic shear-band nucleation rate that increases with decreasing temperature. Here we report on inhomogeneous flow operating via a single shear band even at cryogenic temperatures, challenging the presupposition of increased shear-band activity. The results provide a new interpretation of non-serrated flow and explain, via a simple viscosity law, the correspondingly observed strength increase with decreasing temperature. (C) 2011 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.