Effect of annealing on the deformation and fracture of metallic glass under local loading

An investigation is undertaken into the variations observed in the cracking resistance, the plasticity, and the structure of an 82K3KhSR metallic glass upon annealing. A method of evaluating the mechanical properties and the structural state of metallic glasses is proposed. This method is based on the indentation of the metallic glass deposited onto a substrate prepared from a polyester material and a metal. The critical annealing temperature that corresponds to drastic changes in the mechanical properties of the metallic glass is determined. It is found that dependences of the cracking resistance of metallic glasses on the indenter load exhibit a linear behavior at annealing temperatures above the critical point. An exponential decrease in the cracking resistance upon indentation is observed with an increase in the annealing temperature of metallic glasses.