Deformation and failure of Zr₅₇Ti₅Cu₂₀Ni₈Al₁₀ bulk metallic glass under quasi-static and dynamic compression

We have examined the mechanical behavior of Zr₅₇Ti₅Cu₂₀Ni₈Al₁₀ bulk metallic glass under uniaxial compression at strain rates from 10^-4 tp 3 × 10³ s^-1. The failure stress decreases with increasing strain rate, and shear-band formation remains the dominant deformation mechanism. A consideration of basic properties of adiabatic shear bands makes it appear unlikely that shear bands formed under quasi-static loading are adiabatic; in the dynamic case, the time scales of deformation and thermal conduction are similar, indicating that a more sophisticated calculation is required. In the dynamic tests, however, high-speed cinematography reveals evidence that the mechanism of failure involves an adiabatic component.