On the formation of shear bands in a metallic glass under tailored complex stress fields

The formation of shear bands in metallic glasses (MGs) was examined by tailoring localized complex stress fields (LCSFs). The findings have shown that the LCSFs in MGs can increase the localization of strained atoms and accelerate the release of accumulated deformation energy for initiating a shear band in confined and thin-layered regions. The findings not only add more knowledge to the formation mechanisms of shear bands in MGs, but also provide possible rationale for the discrepancies in the mechanical properties of different-sized MGs. As compared with the bulk samples, the higher strength and larger elastic limits in nanoscaled MGs could be attributed to the elimination of stress-concentrators, which can serve as LCSFs.