Geometrical Effects in Bending of Metallic Glass

We have found a broad correlation between the characteristic spacing of shear bands and the size of plates and wires. The figure below (left) illustrates shear bands produced in a sharply bent metallic glass wire of diameter ~150 microns. Primary shear bands form at a spacing of about 15 microns. In studies ranging over several orders of magnitude, we have demonstrated a universal relationship between sample dimension and shear band spacing in wires and plates. This is illustrated in the figure on the right.