Abstract
Slowly strained solids deform via intermittent slips that exhibit a material-independent critical size distribution. Here, by comparing two disparate systems - granular materials and bulk metallic glasses - we show evidence that not only the statistics of slips but also their dynamics are remarkably similar, i.e. independent of the microscopic details of the material. By resolving and comparing the full time evolution of avalanches in bulk metallic glasses and granular materials, we uncover a regime of universal deformation dynamics. We experimentally verify the predicted universal scaling functions for the dynamics of individual avalanches in both systems, and show that both the slip statistics and dynamics are independent of the scale and details of the material structure and interactions, thus settling a long-standing debate as to whether or not the claim of universality includes only the slip statistics or also the slip dynamics. The results imply that the frictional weakening in granular materials and the interplay of damping, weakening and inertial effects in bulk metallic glasses have strikingly similar effects on the slip dynamics. These results are important for transferring experimental results across scales and material structures in a single theory of deformation dynamics.
Highlights
The question of universality represents a grand challenge in materials deformation, which has been traditionally described by material-specific relations and mechanisms
In this paper we provide the first evidence of strong similarity between slip dynamics in bulk metallic glasses[19] and granular materials[7], in which high-resolution stress measurements are possible
The observed agreement in the slip dynamics of bulk metallic glasses and granular materials shows that universality may extend beyond the slip statistics alone to include the dynamics
Summary
The question of universality represents a grand challenge in materials deformation, which has been traditionally described by material-specific relations and mechanisms. Power-law statistics discovered in the stress fluctuations of slowly deformed single crystals[1,2], bulk metallic glasses (BMGs)[3,4], rocks[5,6], granular materials[7,8,9,10,11,12] and even earthquakes[13,14,15,16] reveal similar strongly correlated deformation, suggesting underlying universal scaling relations in the slow deformation of disordered solids These distributions are well described by a mean-field model of elasto-plastic deformation[17], in which the material’s elasticity causes coupling between locally yielding regions resulting in slip avalanches with intermittency as observed in the experiments. This first rigorous comparison of slip statistics and slip dynamics in two fundamentally disparate systems suggests a universal scaling model of deformation
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
