The effect of annealing on the mechanical properties of a ZrAlNiCu metallic glass

Abstract In this paper, the effects of annealing and nanocrystallization on the mechanical properties of a Zr 55 Al 10 Ni 5 Cu 30 metallic glass have been studied. It has been shown that the high volume fractioned nanocrystals facilitate the formation of shear bands and thus decrease the yield stress. At the same time, the nanocrystals also facilitate the formation of interfacial voids during compression, resulting in substantial decrease in the plasticity of the metallic glass.