Finite element analysis of microimprinting of bulk metallic glasses in supercooled liquid regime

A finite element analysis (FEA) model to analyze imprint of a bulk metallic glass (BMG) in the temperature range near the glass transition temperature (Tg) has been developed. The material model includes both Newtonian and non-Newtonian flow behavior. The results reveal that the topology of the imprinted surface depends strongly on temperatures, but only mildly on surface feature scale. As a result of the flow characteristics of BMG in the temperature range above Tg, the lubrication condition has only a slight effect on BMG imprinting