Influence of structural relaxation on atomic mobility in a Zr41.2Ti13.8Cu125Ni10.0Be22.5 (Vit1) bulk metallic glass

The effect of an annealing at a temperature above or below the glass transition temperature in a Zr_41.2Ti_13.8Cu₁₂₅Ni_10.0Be_22.5 bulk metallic glass was investigated using dynamic mechanical analysis. Structural relaxation influences both the storage modulus (elastic component) and the loss modulus (viscoelastic component). Kinetics can be captured by a stretched exponential relaxation function. Experimental results are correctly described using a physical model based on the concept of defects for the mechanical response of amorphous materials and especially for the characteristic time relative to atomic mobility.