Size effects on tensile and compressive strengths in metallic glass nanowires

Abstract

Shear localization induced brittleness is the main drawback of metallic glasses which restricts their practical applications. Previous experiments have provided insights on how to suppress shear localization by reducing the sample size of metallic glasses to the order of 100nm. In order to reveal the size effects and associated deformation mechanisms of metallic glasses in an even finer scale, we perform large-scale atomistic simulations for the uniaxial compression and tension of metallic glass nanowires. The simulation results show that, as the diameter of metallic glass samples decreases from 45nm to 8nm, the tensile yield strength increases while the compressive yield strength decreases. Homogeneous flow is observed as the governing deformation mechanism in all simulated metallic glass samples, where plastic shearing tends to initiate on the sample surface and propagate into the interior. To rationalize the size dependence of yield strengths, we propose a theoretical model based on the concept of surface stress and Mohr–Coulomb criterion. The theoretical predictions agree well with the simulation results, implying the important role of surface stress on the yielding of MGs below 100nm. Finally, a discussion about the size effects of strength in metallic glasses at different length scales is provided. Our results suggest that the shear band energy and surface stress might be the two crucial parameters in determining the critical size required for the transition from shear localization to homogeneous deformation in MGs.