Temperature Rise Inside Shear Bands in a Simple Model Glass

One of the key factors, which hampers the application of metallic glasses as structural components, is the localization of deformation in narrow bands of a few tens up to one hundred nanometers thickness, the so-called shear bands. Processes, which occur inside shear bands are of central importance for the question whether a catastrophic failure of the material is unavoidable or can be circumvented or, at least, delayed. Via molecular dynamics simulations, this study addresses one of these processes, namely the local temperature rise due to viscous heat generation. The major contribution to energy dissipation is traced back to the plastic work performed by shear stress during steady deformation. Zones of largest strain contribute the most to this process and coincide with high-temperature domains (hottest spots) inside the sample. Magnitude of temperature rise can reach a few percent of the sample’s glass transition temperature. Consequences of these observations are discussed in the context of the current research in the field.