Metallic glasses are known for their outstanding mechanical strength. However, the microscopic mechanism of failure in metallic glasses is not well-understood. In this article we discuss elastic, anelastic and plastic behaviors of metallic glasses from the atomistic point of view, based upon recent results by simulations and experiments. Strong structural disorder affects all properties of metallic glasses, but the effects are more profound and intricate for the mechanical properties. In particular we suggest that mechanical failure is an intrinsic behavior of metallic glasses, a consequence of stress-induced glass transition, unlike crystalline solids which fail through the motion of extrinsic lattice defects such as dislocations.
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