A structural design approach toward metallic glass with simultaneous tunable thermal expansion and high structural stiffness

Abstract Although metallic glasses (MGs) possess relatively low thermal expansion coefficient (α) compared to their crystalline counterparts due to the existence of free volume, their α-values are still too large to meet the demands of practical application. Here, we report that a bi-material struct...

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Main Authors: Yunhao Zhang, Ye Zhou, Conghao Xu, Jiacheng Zhang, Zhendong Sha
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-04-01
Series:Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40712-025-00257-0
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author Yunhao Zhang
Ye Zhou
Conghao Xu
Jiacheng Zhang
Zhendong Sha
author_facet Yunhao Zhang
Ye Zhou
Conghao Xu
Jiacheng Zhang
Zhendong Sha
author_sort Yunhao Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Although metallic glasses (MGs) possess relatively low thermal expansion coefficient (α) compared to their crystalline counterparts due to the existence of free volume, their α-values are still too large to meet the demands of practical application. Here, we report that a bi-material structure (BMS) consisting of curved traditional materials (e.g., Al alloy) with MGs can be used to obtain tunable α while maintaining high structural stiffness. The curved Al alloy has a pulling effect on the MGs when the curvature changes, limiting the thermal expansion of MGs. Through the theoretical model and finite element method analysis, it is further found that both α and stiffness can be significantly altered through changing the degree of curvature, the contact surface, and the thickness ratio of MG over Al alloy. The present study not only offers a solution to the α reduction of MGs but also suggests that BMS can be used to design advanced structural materials that possess adjustable α and high stiffness.
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institution DOAJ
issn 3004-8958
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publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher SpringerOpen
record_format Article
series Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Engineering
spelling doaj-art-140dba387dd7457fb65aec3825d3ae1e2025-08-20T02:55:28ZengSpringerOpenJournal of Materials Science: Materials in Engineering3004-89582025-04-012011910.1186/s40712-025-00257-0A structural design approach toward metallic glass with simultaneous tunable thermal expansion and high structural stiffnessYunhao Zhang0Ye Zhou1Conghao Xu2Jiacheng Zhang3Zhendong Sha4State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, School of Aerospace Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong UniversityState Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, School of Aerospace Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong UniversityState Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, School of Aerospace Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong UniversityState Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, School of Aerospace Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong UniversityState Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, School of Aerospace Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong UniversityAbstract Although metallic glasses (MGs) possess relatively low thermal expansion coefficient (α) compared to their crystalline counterparts due to the existence of free volume, their α-values are still too large to meet the demands of practical application. Here, we report that a bi-material structure (BMS) consisting of curved traditional materials (e.g., Al alloy) with MGs can be used to obtain tunable α while maintaining high structural stiffness. The curved Al alloy has a pulling effect on the MGs when the curvature changes, limiting the thermal expansion of MGs. Through the theoretical model and finite element method analysis, it is further found that both α and stiffness can be significantly altered through changing the degree of curvature, the contact surface, and the thickness ratio of MG over Al alloy. The present study not only offers a solution to the α reduction of MGs but also suggests that BMS can be used to design advanced structural materials that possess adjustable α and high stiffness.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40712-025-00257-0Metallic glassThermal expansionStiffnessFinite element method
spellingShingle Yunhao Zhang
Ye Zhou
Conghao Xu
Jiacheng Zhang
Zhendong Sha
A structural design approach toward metallic glass with simultaneous tunable thermal expansion and high structural stiffness
Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Engineering
Metallic glass
Thermal expansion
Stiffness
Finite element method
title A structural design approach toward metallic glass with simultaneous tunable thermal expansion and high structural stiffness
title_full A structural design approach toward metallic glass with simultaneous tunable thermal expansion and high structural stiffness
title_fullStr A structural design approach toward metallic glass with simultaneous tunable thermal expansion and high structural stiffness
title_full_unstemmed A structural design approach toward metallic glass with simultaneous tunable thermal expansion and high structural stiffness
title_short A structural design approach toward metallic glass with simultaneous tunable thermal expansion and high structural stiffness
title_sort structural design approach toward metallic glass with simultaneous tunable thermal expansion and high structural stiffness
topic Metallic glass
Thermal expansion
Stiffness
Finite element method
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s40712-025-00257-0
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