Transition from elasticity to plasticity in Zr35Cu65 metallic glasses: A molecular dynamics study

The transition from elasticity to plasticity in Zr35Cu65 metallic glass is investigated via molecular dynamics simulations. The plasticity is observed to be accompanied by the structural inhomogenity, which is manifested by the rearrangement of the polyhedra. Meanwhile, the interpenetrating icosahedral cluster network is partly destroyed upon the transition, which introduces free volume. A structural model is proposed to illustrate the transition. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.