Nanoindentation analysis of time-dependent deformation in as-cast and annealed Cu–Zr bulk metallic glass

The room-temperature time-dependent deformation of a Cu–Zr binary bulk metallic glass was investigated by performing nanoindentation creep experiments. Experimental results show that creep is much more pronounced in the as-cast sample than in the annealed sample. In both cases, the amount of creep displacement was found to increase with the loading rate. From the results, the influence of structural state and indentation rate on the creep behavior is discussed. Additionally, the stress exponent for the steady-state creep is estimated from the curve of creep displacement vs. holding time.