Tensile properties of ZrCu-based bulk metallic glasses at ambient and cryogenic temperatures

The tensile behaviors of a series of (Zr47.5Cu47.5Al5)1 − x(Zr80Nb20)x (x = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15) bulk metallic glasses were studied at ambient and cryogenic (77 K) temperatures. It is found that the tensile strength of the alloys increases as the temperature decreases from 298 K to 77 K. The maximum enhancement is 15.7%, and the toughness of these alloys does not deteriorate at low temperatures. We demonstrate that the higher energy required to raise the temperature in the shear bands from the cryogenic temperature to glass transition temperature is the origin of the tensile strength enhancement at low temperatures.