Crystallization-induced plasticity of Cu–Zr containing bulk amorphous alloys

This study examined the parameter governing the plasticity observed in various Cu–Zr containing monolithic amorphous alloys. All the alloys were fully amorphous in their as-cast condition but exhibited different plastic strains. Microscopic observations of the quasi-statically compressed alloys showed abundant nanocrystallites in the amorphous matrices in the alloys that exhibited pronounced plasticity. On the other hand, insignificant changes in the microstructure were observed in the alloy that did not show plasticity. The mechanism for the formation of these deformation-induced nanocrystallites was examined from the viewpoints of thermodynamics and kinetics. The role of the deformation-induced nanocrystallites on the plasticity of the amorphous alloy was examined using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The results demonstrate that compressive loading facilitates nanocrystallization in monolithic Cu–Zr containing amorphous alloys, resulting in plasticity. The parameter governing the plasticity in these monolithic Cu–Zr containing amorphous alloys lies in the activation energy for the overall crystallization process.