Abstract Scope |
It is well known that shear band mediated plasticity ahead of crack tips imparts high fracture toughness of 'ductile' BMGs, quantitative connection between those two material properties is yet to be established. In this work, we show that the mode I fracture initiation toughness, KIc, can be related to the shear band number, Ni, around spherical indentation impressions as well as the shear band density in the notch tip plastic zone. This result confirms that it is indeed the notch tip plasticity that determines KIc of BMGs. Possible connections between Ni and Nn, ways of enhancing the latter so as to increase KIc, and the central role played by the relative density of MGs in determining both elastic, plastic, and fracture responses will be discussed. |