Effect of cooling rate on the bending plasticity of Zr55Al10Ni5Cu30 bulk metallic glass

The effect of cooling rate on the bending plasticity of Zr55Al10Ni5Cu30 bulk metallic glass was investigated by varying the thickness of the as-cast sample. It turned out that as the thickness of the as-cast sample increases from 1 to 3 mm, short-range ordering in the microstructures is enhanced until noticeable nanocrystallization occurs in the thickest sample, but the bending plasticity measured under the same test specification first decreases and then increases. It is suggested that both free volume and structural heterogeneity dominate the plasticity of metallic glasses. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.