Correlations between the wear resistance and properties of bulk metallic glasses

Abstract

The wear, elastic, mechanical and thermodynamic properties of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) is studied to explore correlations between the wear resistance and properties of BMGs. It is found that the wear resistance of BMGs is dominated by synergistic effects of strength factors, namely the hardness (H), Young's modulus (E), yield strength (σy) and glass transition temperature (Tg), as well as toughness factors, like the notch toughness (KQ) and Poisson's ratio (ν). Moreover, a novel strategy for optimizing the wear resistance of BMGs is proposed from elastic perspective. The wear resistance of BMGs is correlated with chemistry-induced changes to bulk modulus (B) and Poisson's ratio (ν) for the first time. Developing BMGs with high value of B0.5·[2(1+v)/3(1−2v)]0.25 can achieve simultaneously both high strength and good toughness, which provides the elastic opportunities for designing ultra-wear-resistant BMGs.