Mechanical properties of bulk metallic glasses: Elastic, visco-elastic and visco-plastic components in the deformation

Mechanical properties of bulk metallic glasses are strongly dependent on temperature and driving frequency, when a periodic stress is applied. By using mechanical spectroscopy, the various components of the deformation can be obtained: elastic, visco-elastic and visco-plastic. A bulk metallic glass is investigated: Vit 4, i.e., a Zr–Ti–Cu–Ni–Be alloy. The influence of the existence of nano-crystalline particles induced by annealing is also reported.