Tribological Studies of Bulk Metallic Glasses

Abstract

The materials research community has been very interested in bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) over the past two decades because of their demonstrated friction and wear properties, as well as their potential for use in a variety of important tribological applications. Because of their superior chemical, physical, and mechanical properties, BMGs are a promising candidate material for advanced engineering applications. Compared to conventional crystalline metals and alloys, BMGs have higher strength, higher elastic strain, and higher hardness, making them a promising material class for tribological applications. A unique deformation process is realized in these materials due to the lack of a crystalline structure and faults such as misalignments, which display high strength, hardness, strong wear resistance, massive plastic deformation, corrosion-resistant, and hardness. In this chapter, the authors describe the research achievements in the field of BMGs, the tribological properties, structure, and applications.