Temperature Rise Inside Shear Bands in a Simple Model Glass

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Computational Materials Science

Background:

• Metallic glasses are promising structural materials but suffer from localized deformation in nanoscale shear bands.
• Understanding processes within shear bands is critical for predicting material failure.
• Viscous heat generation and local temperature rise are key phenomena within shear bands.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the local temperature rise due to viscous heat generation within shear bands of metallic glasses.
• To identify the primary mechanisms contributing to energy dissipation during deformation.
• To correlate high-strain zones with temperature increases.

Main Methods:

• Molecular dynamics simulations were employed to model the behavior of metallic glasses under shear stress.
• Analysis focused on energy dissipation mechanisms and strain localization.
• Temperature evolution within the simulated shear bands was tracked.

Main Results:

• A significant local temperature rise was observed within the shear bands.
• Plastic work performed by shear stress during steady deformation was identified as the major contributor to energy dissipation.
• The hottest spots within the material coincided with zones of largest strain.

Conclusions:

• The study quantifies the temperature rise in metallic glass shear bands, reaching a few percent of the glass transition temperature.
• These findings highlight the importance of viscous heating in shear band dynamics.
• Understanding these thermal effects is essential for mitigating catastrophic failure in metallic glass structural components.