Effect of geometry of crystalline dendrite on the uniaxial tension behavior of metallic glass matrix composites based on molecular dynamics simulations

Abstract

Introducing crystalline dendrites can effectively enhance the plasticity of metallic glass matrix composites. The geometry (e.g., shape and orientation) of the crystalline dendrites can significantly influence the mechanical properties of the material. In this study, we create numerical Cu-Zr glassy samples containing crystalline dendrites of realistic geometries and study their mechanical behaviors under uniaxial tension loading through large-scale molecular dynamics simulations. The results indicate that shear band formation is sensitive to the shape and orientation of the dendrites. The geometry of the dendrites significantly affects the behavior of shear bands in the materials and ultimately leads to different tensile plasticity. This work is aimed at providing guidelines for the design of metallic glass matrix composites with complex second phase dendritic structures.