Mechanical characterization of Cu60Zr22Ti 18 bulk metallic glasses

The glass forming ability of the Cu-Zr-Ti system has been studied by the authors leading to an optimised behaviour for the composition under investigation in the present work. Rods of 3 mm diameter produced by Cu-mould casting, both as-cast and after thermal treatment, have been structurally characterized and mechanically tested to study the dependence of the microscopic and macroscopic mechanical response on the amorphous state, degree of thermal relaxation and different crystalline volume fraction. The advances provided by the nanomechanical tests in the understanding of the mechanical behaviour of the bulk metallic glass (BMG) under investigation, are a step forward in the improvement and optimisation of this promising material for structural applications, since the macroscopic compression tests showed a very good behaviour with Young's modulus and fracture strength values of about 105 GPa and 1900 MPa respectively.