Stored Mechanical Work in Inhomogeneous Deformation Processes of a Pd-Based Bulk Metallic Glass

Abstract

We investigated the effect of anelastic rearrangements in a Pd-based metallic glass during inhomogeneous plastic deformation producing shear bands at room temperature. Therefore, we subjected bulk metallic glasses to uniaxial stresses and characterized the influence of deformation on the global configurational energy state with ultrasonic and calorimetric methods. The results provide evidence that even in an inhomogeneous plastic deformation process at room temperature, a certain amount of energy can be stored which is thermally relaxed below the glass transition temperature.