Confining cracks in metallic glass

This article is about bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), which are used for various items such as aircrafts, sporting equipment, and many different types of structures. BMGs are so popular for these items because of how they can be molded into so many different complex shapes and how strong they are under large elastic strains. But there is some concern over the durability of bulk metallic glasses. Recently, it has been discovered that they tire and develop large cracks when they are under heavy repeated stress. They actually crack much more quickly than crystalline metal alloys do. A group of scientists did an experiment focusing on trying to control the microstructure of a BMG figure made of zirconiu, titanium, and other metals, to try to prevent it from cracking. They heated the precursor alloys between the alloys between the melting points, which helped control dendrite size and control spacing between the glass and crystal phases. After experimenting with this BMG, the scientists found that this new BMG was three times stronger than the original when under stress.