| Abstract Scope |
Metallic glasses have heterogeneities in various forms through inhomogeneous distribution of chemical composition, local structural packing, or density fluctuation. The heterogeneities have their own mechanical properties such as elastic modulus and plastic yielding behavior that are different from the matrix. In this work, we shall present our recent results of how these heterogeneities affect the overall mechanical properties of metallic glasses, in particular the strength and toughness. Our systematic investigation covers the following aspects: statistical heterogeneity with different distributions of physical or structural components, spatial distributions, length scales, geometric and topological patterns, and lastly, interfaces between the heterogeneity and the matrix. We found that the heterogeneities can influence the mechanical properties significantly, especially toughness and strength, through redistribution of local deformation. These new theoretical results point to new design principles for processing and application of metallic glasses where both the strength and toughness and their balance require new thinking. |