Micro-plasticity and -tribology of metallic glasses

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Roland Bennewitz, since 6/2015
• Subject Area: Mechanical Properties of Metallic Materials and their Microstructural Origins
• Term: from 2014 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 250732239

Metallic glasses are a new class of metallic materials. They exhibit attractive mechanical properties, such as high capacity to store elastic energy, high hardness, and high strength. While the mechanical behaviour of metallic glasses has been the subject of intensive research in the least decades, the underlying microscopic mechanisms are still to be experimentally identified. In this project we investigate as example the microscopic mechanisms leading to friction and wear of metallic glasses and determine their respective contribution at different length scales from nanometers to micrometers. Owing to their high strength and hardness metallic glasses have been suggested as wear resistant materials. The tribological behavior of metallic glasses is determined by a complex superposition of the microscopic mechanisms. The distinction of the microscopic mechanisms is best achieved in single asperity contact experiments, which will be realized by means of Atomic Force Microscopy. In this project we will distinguish between plasticity effects, thermal effects, and chemical effects by investigating the nanometer-scale wear of metallic glasses in various environments (ultra-high vacuum, air, and electrolyte) as a function of the temperature and with counter-bodies of different chemical composition. Once identified on the nanometer scale, the combined effects of the single mechanisms will be investigated micrometer-scale tests of friction and wear. The outcome of this project will provide us with an understanding of the fundamentals of plasticity and wear in metallic glasses. Therewith, the results will enable the development of guidelines for the application of metallic glasses in mechanical components with high energy efficiency and high durability.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Ehemaliger Antragsteller: Dr.-Ing. Arnaud Caron, until 5/2015