We study a lattice model for mode III crack propagation in brittle materials in a stripe geometry at constant applied stretching. Stiffening of the material at large deformation produces supersonic crack propagation. For large stretching the propagation is guided by well-developed soliton waves. For low stretching, the crack-tip velocity has a universal dependence on stretching that can be obta...

[1] Stereo-derived topographic profiles across furrows in the ancient ( 4 Gyr) dark terrain of Galileo Regio, Ganymede, suggest flexural uplift. Modeling of the riftflank profiles implies an effective elastic thickness of 0.5 km, heat fluxes in the range 60–80 mW m 2 at the time of deformation, and a brittle-ductile transition depth of 2–3 km. The elastic thicknesses are comparable to estimates...

In this study we present microstructural data from hydrothermal veins in the sedimentary cover and the igneous basement recovered from Hole U1414A, Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 344 (Costa Rica Seismogenesis Project), to constrain deformation mechanism operating in the subducting Cocos Plate. Cathodoluminescence studies, mechanical e-twin piezometry and electron backscatte...

Micro-indentation is widely used in evaluating the mechanical properties of ceramics. It is also an important measure in the study of machinability of brittle materials. Because of the complexity of interaction in the vicinity of the contact zone between the indenter and work material, an analytical or experimental method is unable to predict the detailed evolution process of deformation. With ...

The stress configuration and tectonic analysis of the Pan – African orogeny is drawn from the Igarra schist belt, southwestern Nigeria. The analysis of conjugate shear fractures of the schist belt indicates that two distinct compressive events (NE – SW and E – W) occurred in this Pan – African mobile zone. The palaeostress systems reveal a clockwise rotation of compressional axis from D1 (NE – ...

We present investigations on the plastic deformation behavior of a brittle bulk amorphous alloy by simple uniaxial compressive loading at room temperature. A patterning is possible by cold-plastic forming of the typically brittle Hf-based bulk amorphous alloy through controlling homogenous flow without the need for thermal energy or shaping at elevated temperatures. The experimental evidence su...

Amorphous metallic alloys, or metallic glasses, are lucrative engineering materials owing to their superior mechanical properties such as high strength and large elastic strain. However, their main drawback is their propensity for highly catastrophic failure through rapid shear banding, significantly undercutting their structural applications. Here, we show that when reduced to 100 nm, Zr-based...

Glasses are usually shaped through the viscous flow of a liquid before its solidification, as practiced in glass blowing. At or near room temperature (RT), oxide glasses are known to be brittle and fracture upon any mechanical deformation for shape change. Here, we show that with moderate exposure to a low-intensity (<1.8×10(-2) A cm(-2)) electron beam (e-beam), dramatic shape changes can be ac...

Widespread adoption of metallic glasses (MGs) in applications motivated by high strength and elasticity combined with plastic-like processing has been stymied by their lack of tensile ductility. One emerging strategy to couple the attractive properties of MGs with resistance to failure by shear localization is to employ sub-micron sample or feature length scales, although conflicting results sh...