Low Temperature Structural Relaxation in Bulk Metallic Glass

Low temperature structural relaxation in Zr55Cu30Ni5Al10 bulk metallic glass (BMG) that evolved at about 100～150 K under glass transition temperature was investigated by electrical resistance relaxation and volume relaxation. The reversible isochronal change in resistance and the kinetics of relaxation was in agreement with low temperature relaxation behavior previously reported in many amorphous metals. It was checked whether or not the kinetic of relaxation examined obeys kinematical criterions deduced from dynamic mechanical analysis for non-organic glass, polymer glass as well as metallic glass. At least, with regard to a limited glass as pre-annealed Zr55Cu30Ni5Al10 BMG, the equivalency of low temperature relaxation to β-relaxation (Johari-Goldstein relaxation) was not verified.