Effect of Laser Shock Peening on the Surface Morphology of Metallic Glasses

Abstract

Laser shock peening is a promising effective approach for improving mechanical properties of metallic glass. In this work, laser shock peening was employed to study the surface morphologies of metallic glasses with different toughness. Numerous localized circular-or arc-shaped structures, with the size of 5~20 μm, were observed in the shock treated surface. The number of these unique localized structures has a close correlation to the ability of metallic glass to accommodate plastic deformation. In addition, the surface morphology evolution of Zr-based metallic glasses with different crystalline degrees is also discussed, indicating that the circular-or arc-shaped structures only appear in fully amorphous system.