The critical length of shear bands in metallic glass

In order to exploit the potential applications of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), it is essential to improve their ductility. In this study, we first performed a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of the propagation of a shear band (SB) through a BMG plate and then analyzed the evolution of temperature and shear stress distributions in the plane of the SB. Using the MD simulation results and fracture mechanics, we then obtained the critical length of SBs, which potentially cause catastrophic propagation.