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Wavelike fracture pattern in metallic glasses: a Kelvin-Helmholtz flow instability

We report a wavelike fracture pattern in a Zr-based bulk metallic glass that has been deformed under quasi-static uniaxial tensions at temperatures between room temperature (300 K) and liquid nitrogen temperature (77 K). We attribute this wavelike pattern to a Kelvin-Helmholtz flow instability that occurred at certain interfaces between local cracking/softening regions. The instability criterion for the pattern formation is achieved via a hydrodynamic perturbation analysis, and furthermore an instability map is built which demonstrates that the shear velocity difference on both sides of the interface is the main destabilizing factor. Finally, the characteristic instability time (the inverse of the instability growth rate) is explored by seeking the dispersion relation in the dominant (fastest) instability mode. The results increase the understanding of the flow and fracture of metallic glasses as well as the nature of their liquid structures.