Reduced Fracture Toughness of Metallic Glass at Cryogenic Temperature

The effects of cryogenic temperature on the toughness of a Zr-based metallic glass are investigated. Based on three-dimensional fracture morphologies at different temperatures, the crack formation and propagation are analyzed. Through the calculation of the shear transformation zone volume, the shear modulus and bulk modulus of the metallic glass at different temperatures and the crack formation mechanism associated with the temperature is discussed. Once the crack commences propagation, the hyperelasticity model is used to elucidate the fractographic evolution of crack propagation.