Power-law scaling behaviors for shear band intersections in Zr64.13Cu15.75Ni10.12Al10 bulk metallic glass

At the large compressive deformation levels, shear band offsets at intersection sites and the stress drop magnitudes of serrated flow follow power-law distributions for Zr64.13Cu15.75Ni10.12Al10 bulk metallic glass. In addition, it was revealed that shear band interactions evolve into a process of large degree cooperation of many shear bands via investigating the relation between shear band intersections and serrated flow. To clarify the evolution rules of shear band intersections, quantitatively statistical works were performed. With increasing the plastic strain, the distribution of shear band orientations becomes wider and displays a multi-peak distribution. The average shear band spacing varies as a power function of plastic strain and decreases to a very low level in large deformation stages. Small spacing and arbitrary orientations of shear bands greatly enhance the intersecting probability and lead to the density of shear band intersections varying as a power function of plastic strain. Enormous amount of undeformed regions enclosed by shear bands provide many places for shear bands intersecting.