Local Structural Arrangement of Amorphous Al-Ni-Co Alloy during Uniaxial Tension: A Molecular Dynamics Study

Abstract

The local structural arrangement of the amorphous alloy system Al₄₅Ni₅₀Co₅, subject to uniaxial tensile strain, was investigated using molecular dynamics simulation. The amorphous phase of the alloy system did not change in the process. The degree of icosahedral order quantified by the Honeycutt-Andersen structural type, 1551, plays an important role in the formation and expansion of the shear transition zones in this amorphous system. The structural types 1551, 1441, and 1661 are found to evolve during the deformation process.

Fig. 1 The stress-strain curve of the simulated Al₄₅Ni₅₀Co₅ alloy. Inset shows snapshots of the system under tensile deformation at 0, 20, and 40 percent strain, respectively.