Parallel Simulation of Shear Banding in Three-dimensional Metallic Glasses
Nicholas Boffi, Harvard University
A continuum model based on the shear-transformation zone (STZ) theory of amorphous plasticity is used to study shear banding in bulk metallic glasses. The simulations are carried out in three dimensions by solving 10 coupled partial differential equations for the stress, velocity and effective temperature field on a staggered Eulerian grid using an explicit forward Euler method. The method is parallelized using MPI and domain decomposition. Several initial conditions are considered, such as a single localized defect, a random initial temperature field and several defects spread throughout the material. Particular attention is paid to the 3-D structure of the propagating shear band, as well as interactions between fronts.
Abstract Author(s): N.M. Boffi, C.H. Rycroft