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Structural changes in a metallic glass under cyclic indentation
Summary
Researchers used computer simulations to study how a metallic glass material — a disordered metal alloy — changes at the atomic level when repeatedly pressed with an indenter, finding that the material initially relaxes structurally but then gradually rebuilds its original structure, explaining the known phenomenon of metals getting harder with repeated deformation cycles.
Abstract Using molecular dynamics simulation, a CuZr metallic glass was subjected to cyclic indentation to investigate cyclic hardening. Structural changes occurring after each indentation cycle were analyzed by examining the radial changes of the structural motifs in the vicinity of the indenter surface. The analysis revealed initial local structural modifications that corresponded to a more relaxed glass state, followed by a slow restoration of the initially destroyed structures. These findings provide new insights into the microstructural causes of cyclic hardening in metallic glasses.