Influence of structural relaxation on atomic mobility in a Zr41.2Ti13.8CU125Ni10.0Be22.5 (Vit1) bulk metallic glass

The effect of an annealing at a temperature above or below the glass transition temperature in a Zr41.2Ti13.8CU125Ni10.0Be22.5 bulk metallic glass was investigated using dynamic mechanical analysis. Structural relaxation influences both the storage modulus (elastic component) and the loss modulus (viscoelastic component). Kinetics can be captured by a stretched exponential relaxation function. Experimental results are correctly described using a physical model based on the concept of defects for the mechanical response of amorphous materials and especially for the characteristic time relative to atomic mobility. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.