Analysis of Shear Banding in Zr-Based Metallic Glass under Laser Shock Peening and Bending

Abstract

Metallic glasses have been expected to be used as structural materials since their high strength and high hardness. Unfortunately, their catastrophic brittle fracture behavior with poor plasticity becomes the major weakness for structural application. It has been recognized that the mechanism of plastic deformation in metallic glasses is through the formation of shear bands, which provide them with limited ductility. Laser shock peening (LSP) is an innovative surface treatment technique which can introduce deep compressive residual stress layer to materials for improving their mechanical behavior. In this work, a finite-element model has been developed to numerically simulate the pure bending process, LSP and subsequent bending process. An advanced constitutive equation was established based on the large deformation theory of nonlinear mechanics, the free volume model and the Coulomb-Mohr yield criterion. The model is able to capture the following results: (i) for a given bending deflection, the shear band spacing increases with increasing plate thickness; (ii) for a given plate thickness, the free volume increases with the bending deflection; (iii) for a given thickness and a given deflection, the shear bands increase under the effect of LSP.