The β relaxation process of La-based amorphous alloy: Effect of annealing and strain amplitude

Abstract

The dynamic relaxation process of amorphous alloys is an important issue to understand the diffusion behavior, plastic deformation as well as glass transition phenomenon. In the current research, (La<sub>0.6</sub>Ce<sub>0.4</sub>)<sub>65</sub>Al<sub>10</sub>Co<sub>25</sub> amorphous alloy with a pronounced β relaxation process was selected as a model system to study the dynamic mechanical relaxation processes. Influence of driving frequency, physical aging and applied strain amplitude on the β relaxation of the La-based metallic glass was probed process using dynamic mechanical analysis. The experimental results demonstrated that the peak of the β relaxation process shifts to high temperature by increasing the driving frequency. Physical aging below the glass transition temperature induces a decrease of the intensity of the β relaxation process. The “defects” of amorphous alloy decreases during the physical aging process, which is ascribed to the glassy system shifts to more stable state induced by physical aging treatment. In parallel, the intensity of the β relaxation process of the amorphous alloy increases by increasing strain amplitude. The research sheds new light on further understanding the physical origin of β relaxation process of the amorphous alloy.