Tailoring structural inhomogeneities in Al90Sm10 metallic glass nanowire via torsional deformation

Structural evolution of Al ₉₀Sm ₁₀ metallic glass (MG) nanowire (NW) has been investigated in great details by employing Molecular dynamics to simulate the torsion deformation for varying torsion speed i.e., 1/360 revolution/ps, 1/600 revolution/ps and 1/900 revolution/ps. The structural evolution has been evaluated via employing certain techniques such as atomic strain and Voronoi Tessellation method. Shear transformation zones (STZs) nucleate homogenously near the vicinity of the clamped regions, grow and coalesce into the wide shear bands (SB) that grow along the interior of the NW specimen with increasing degree of rotation. The atomic strain gradient in the Al ₉₀Sm ₁₀ MG NW also varies radially. With increasing torsion speed the STZ nucleation become inhomogeneous and the width of SBs are constricted to narrow bands. The amelioration of Voronoi polyhedral (VPs) with increasing torsional angle possessing liquid like character such as Z13<0, 2, 8, 4>, Z13<0, 3, 6,4>, Z12<0, 2, 8, 2> encourages collective shear transformation and thereby enhancing plastic deformation under torsion load. A transformation pathway of VPs has been mapped out for Al ₉₀Sm ₁₀ MG NW under the subjugation of torsion load.