Fatigue responses of metallic glass‐based stochastic network nanomaterial: Superior strain‐hardening ability

Abstract

Engineering materials commonly suffer from cumulative and irreversible damage during cyclic deformation, leading to fatigue failure. Developing materials with better fatigue resistance is imperative. This work reports a metallic glass network nanomaterial that possesses superior strain‐hardening ability. After a certain number of fatigue tests, the peak stress of the nanomaterial can even be up to four times its original value. This superior strain‐hardening ability originates from the unique plastic mechanism. During cyclic deformation, localized shear transformation zones form and develop, especially in the stress concentration regions. Ligaments crosslinked to these regions cannot sustain their original configurations and contract toward these plastic hinges, resulting in the collapse and coalescence of voids. This densification enhances the engineering stress during each cycle. The fatigue features can be altered by adjusting the cyclic frequency. Stronger strain‐hardening ability can be achieved at lower cyclic frequencies.