Plastic dynamics transition between chaotic and self-organized critical states in a glassy metal via a multifractal intermediate

Changes in intermittent serrated flow behavior during plastic deformation of Zr _64.13Cu _15.75Ni _10.12Al ₁₀, a representative glassy metal with characteristic ductility, in response to variant strain rates and temperatures were examined. The influence of strain rates and environmental temperatures on the stress-time sequence of the plastic strain regime was investigated using comprehensive dynamical, statistical, and multifractal analyses. Three distinct spatiotemporal dynamical regimes were explored. Under small strain rates or high temperatures, the time-stress sequence exhibited a chaotic behavior. Conversely, under large strain rates or low temperatures, a transition to the self-organized critical state was observed. In addition to chaotic time series and statistical analysis, multifractal analysis was also applied to study the crossover between these two unique plastic dynamic transitions. This plastic dynamical behavior was elucidated based on the interactions between shear avalanches in the glassy metal.