Understanding the Plasticity of Amorphous Alloys Via the Interpretation of Structural Evolution Inside a Shear Band

Abstract

)Abstract The effect of the initial packing structure on the plasticity of amorphous alloys was investigated bytracing the structural evolution of the amorphous solid inside a shear band. According to the moleculardynamics simulations, the structural evolution of the amorphous solids inside the shear band was more abruptin the alloy with a higher initial packing density. Such a difference in the structural evolution within the shearband observed from the amorphous alloys with different initial packing density is believed to cause differentdegrees of shear localization, providing an answer to the fundamental question of why amorphous alloys showdifferent plasticity. We clarify the structural origin of the plasticity of bulk amorphous alloys by exploring themicrostructural aspects in view of the structural disordering, disorder-induced softening, and shear localizationusing molecular dynamics simulations based on the recently developed MEAM (modified embedded atommethod) potential.Key wordsamorphous alloys, free volume, structural disorder, molecular dynamics.