Mechanical properties of bulk metallic glasses: Elastic, visco-elastic and visco-plastic components in the deformation

Mechanical properties of bulk metallic glasses are strongly dependent on temperature and driving frequency, when a periodic stress is applied. By using mechanical spectroscopy, the various components of the deformation can be obtained: elastic, visco-elastic and viscoplastic. A bulk metallic glass is investigated: Vit 4, i.e., a Zr-Ti-Cu-Ni-Be alloy. The influence of the existence of nano-crystalline particles induced by annealing is also reported. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.