Fatigue of metallic glasses

The fatigue behaviour of Ni₄₉Fe₂₉P₁₄B₆Si₂, Ni₄₈Fe₂₉P₁₄B₆Al₃ and Pd_77.5Cu₆Si_16.5 metallic glasses is examined. In the finite lifetime regime the relationship between stress amplitude ( _a), fracture stress ( _f), mean stress ( _m) and cycles to failure (N _f) is _a=A( _f–_m) (2N _f) ^b , whereA andb are 16.9 and –0.40 respectively for reduced gauge section Ni₄₉ strips (for _m 140 kg mm^–2) and 27.0 and –0.44 for Pd base wires. These results are unusual in thatA 1. Consequently, a sharp discontinuity exists near _a( _f– _m) –1. In a simple tensile test failure occurs at _f(=_y) and 2N_f=1; for peak stresses only a percent or so less than _f the sample will withstand hundreds of cycles of stress. For uniform cross-section glassy metal filaments, a fatigue limit is observed at stress ratios ( _a/ _f) in the vicinity of 0.07 to 0.15. The fatigue limit for reduced section specimens is a factor of 2 higher. Fatigue failure of the Ni-Fe strips may occur under partially or fully plane stress or plane strain conditions, depending on sample thickness and stress. Final failure of the Pd_77.5Cu₆Si_16.5 wires always occurs by general yielding of the remaining section.