Modeling of Microimprinting of Bulk Metallic Glasses

A finite element analysis (FEA) model has been developed to analyze microimprinting of bulk metallic glasses (BMG) near the glass transition temperature (Tg). The results reveal an approximately universal imprinting response for BMG, independent of surface feature length scale. The scale-independent nature of BMG imprinting derives from the flow characteristics of BMG in the temperature range above Tg. It also shows that the lubrication condition has a mild influence on BMG imprinting in the temperature range above Tg.