Fractography and morphology of shear bands of a Zr-based bulk metallic glass

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) have attracted considerable attention in the last few decades particularly triggered by their potential applications as novel structural and/or functional materials, owing to their superior strength, large elastic strain limit and relatively low Young's modulus etc. compared to their crystalline counterparts. Here, a 3D reconstruction application to the fractography and the morphology of shear bands was reported for a ductile Zr₅₆ Co₂₈ Al₁₆ (at. %) BMG through a Phenom series desktop scanning electron microscope. The results of the 3D reconstruction and the following contour analysis indicate a typical shear fracture mode for the investigated alloy. It is inferred that the fractography and the morphology of shear bands might be dependent on their composition, structure states, and loading conditions for BMGs.