Influence of indenter geometry on the deformation behavior of Zr60Cu30Al10 bulk metallic glass during nanoindentation

As a first step in examining a new aspect of inhomogeneous plastic flow in bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) during nanoindentation, a series of nanoindentation experiments were performed on Zr60Cu30Al10 BMG with two pyramidal indenters (Berkovich and cube-corner indenters) having different centreline-to-face angle. It was revealed that the indenter angle can be a new controllable factor affecting the serrated flow behaviour of the BMG during nanoindentation, since a sharper cube-corner indenter induces different stress field under the contact from Berkovich indenter typically used. Results are discussed in terms of preliminary ideas for improving analysis of the shear-band-ruled deformation behaviours in the BMG during nanoindentation.