Effect of Strain Rate on Compressive Behavior of a Zr-Based Metallic Glass under a Wide Range of Strain Rates

The strain rate effect on the mechanical behavior of amorphous alloys has aroused general interest. Most studies in this area have focused on quasi-static and high strain-rate compressive deformations. However, experimental results have been few, or even non-existent, under a moderate strain-rate loading. This article extends the traditional split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) technique to characterize compressive deformation of an amorphous alloy at medium strain rates. The compressive behavior of Zr(65.25)Cu(21.75)Al(8)Ni(4)Nb(1) amorphous alloy shows a negative strain rate effect on the yield strength with a quasi-static, moderate to high strain-rate range, and the fracture angle increases from 44° at 10(−5) s(−1) to 60° at 4000 s(−1) as strain rate increases(.) Herein, we introduce a modified cooperative shear model to describe the compressive behavior of the current amorphous alloy under a broad strain rate range. The model predicts that the normalized yield strength will linearly descend with logarithmic strain rate when the strain rate is less than a critical strain rate, however, which rapidly decreases linearly with the square of the strain rate at high strain rates. The predicted data of the model are highly consistent with the current experimental results. These findings provide support for future engineering applications of amorphous alloys.