Influence of oscillation strain on the dynamic mechanical relaxation of a La-based metallic glass

Dynamic mechanical relaxation processes, particularly secondary relaxation processes, are closely related to the mechanical and physical properties of metallic glasses. Here the effect of oscillation strain amplitude on the secondary relaxation of a typical La-based metallic glass was studied using the dynamic mechanical analysis method. The apparent activation energy of the β relaxation is shown to increase with the oscillation strain amplitude. When it changes from 0.02% to 0.16%, the activation energy increases from 0.73 to 0.96 eV. Simultaneously, the intensity of the β relaxation shifts toward high temperature. Additionally, the apparent β relaxation is found to be sensitive to the physical aging below the glass transition temperature. The findings suggest a correlation between the inelastic deformation and the relaxation behavior of amorphous metals.