Nanoscale Morphology in Tensile Fracture of a Brittle Amorphous Ribbon

The paper reports on the observation of nanoscale morphology on the tensile fracture surface of a brittle amorphous Fe-based ribbon. The formation of nanoscale damage cavity structure is a main characteristic morphology on the fracture surfaces. Approaching the ribbon boundary, these damage cavities assemble and form the nanoscale periodic corrugations, which are neither Wallner lines nor crack front waves. The periodic corrugations result from the interactions between the reflected elastic waves by the boundaries of amorphous ribbon and the stress fields of the crack tip.