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Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
Published on: June 7, 2018
Shear-induced crystallization of an amorphous system.
Anatolii V Mokshin1, Jean-Louis Barrat
1Université de Lyon, Univ. Lyon I, Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Condensée et des Nanostructures, CNRS, UMR 5586, Villeurbanne Cedex, France.
Stationary shear flow influences glassy system crystallization by promoting crystallite formation and suppressing large clusters. This shear-induced ordering occurs in two stages, with specific relations found between shear rate and ordering time.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Computational Chemistry
Background:
- Glassy systems exhibit complex ordering phenomena.
- Understanding shear flow effects is crucial for materials processing.
- Crystallization dynamics in amorphous materials are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of stationary shear flow on crystallization in a glassy system.
- To analyze the topological ordering processes under shear.
- To determine the relationship between shear rate, strain, and ordering time.
Main Methods:
- Molecular dynamics simulations were employed.
- Subsequent cluster analysis was performed.
- The effects of strain and shear rate were systematically studied.
Main Results:
- Shear flow exhibits dual effects: promoting crystallite formation while suppressing large clusters.
- Shear-induced ordering proceeds in two distinct stages: crystallite growth and cluster adjustment/alignment.
- Two phenomenological relations were identified between shear rate and the characteristic ordering time scale.
Conclusions:
- Stationary shear flow significantly alters crystallization pathways in glassy systems.
- The study provides insights into the staged nature of shear-induced ordering.
- Established relationships offer predictive capabilities for amorphous material ordering under shear.
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