A Comparison of in- and ex-situ Shear Bands in Metallic Glass by Transmission Electron Microscopy

Plastic deformation of metallic glasses performed at temperatures well below the glass transition proceeds via the formation of shear bands. In this contribution shear bands originating from in situ tensile tests of Al88Y7Fe5 melt-spun ribbons conducted in a transmission electron microscope are compared with ones which had formed ex situ during cold rolling. The observed contrasts for shear bands generated in situ at the edges of thin electron-transparent foils are shown to be related to a meniscus-like foil thickness reduction. In comparison with ex situ samples, alternating contrast changes due to volume changes are missing and the shear band width is a factor of 15 larger. The meniscus-like shear band profile is accounted for by the thin foil allowing volume increase due to shear deformation to annihilate via the free surfaces of the thin foil and the sheared zones to widen.