• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2004.04a
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• pp.42-47
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• 2004

Metallic glasses are amorphous meta-stable solids and are now being processed in bulk form suitable for structural applications including impact. Bulk metallic glasses have many unique mechanical properties such as high yield strength and fracture toughness, good corrosion and wear resistance that distinguish them from crystalline metals and alloys. However, only a few studies could be found mentioning the dynamic response and damage of metallic glasses under impact or shock loading. In this study, we employed a small explosive detonator for the dynamic indentation on a Zr-based bulk amorphous metal in order to evaluate the damage behavior of bulk amorphous metal under impact loading. These results were compared with those of spherical indentation under quasi-static and impact loading. The interface bonded specimens were adopted to observe the appearances of subsurface damage induced during indentation under different loading conditions.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.42 no.8 s.279
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• pp.537-541
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• 2005

Silicon nitride is one of the most successful engineering ceramics, owing to a favorable combination of properties, including high strength, high hardness, low thermal expansion coefficient, and high fracture toughness. However, the impact damage behavior of $Si_3N_4$ ceramics has not been widely characterized. In this study, sphere and explosive indentations were used to characterize the static and dynamic damage behavior of $Si_3N_4$ ceramics with different microstructures. Three grades of $Si_3N_4$ with different grain size and shape, fine-equiaxed, medium, and coarse-elongated, were prepared. In order to observe the subsurface damaged zone, a bonded-interface technique was adopted. Subsurface damage evolution of the specimens was then characterized extensively using optical and electron microscopy. It was found that the damage response depends strongly on the microstructure of the ceramics, particularly on the glassy grain boundary phase. In the case of static indentation, examination of subsurface damage revealed competition between brittle and ductile damage modes. In contrast to static indentation results, dynamic indentation induces a massive subsurface yield zone that contains severe micro-failures. In this study, it is suggested that the weak glassy grain boundary phase plays an important role in the resistance to dynamic fracture.