Computer Simulation of Glass Formation in two Dimensional Networks

Abstract

Although amorphous metals exhibit high degree of disorder, increasing evidence has been pointed out in recent years that they also yield a significant degree of order extending over distances as large as tens of angströms. The main features which characterize such a medium range order are most often reminiscent of both the local units observed in the parent crystal and of the topological connection scheme between units. In glass forming alloys, we relate the occurence of amorphization to an orderdisorder transition that takes place together with a lattice instability mechanism which is mainly due to an atomic size mismatch effect. A numerical simulation has been designed in two dimensions in order to explore into more detail the relevant parameters calculated as a function of physical parameters.