Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
Crystallization in amorphous materials produces polycrystalline materials with fine grains which can be on the order of 1–2 microns, depending on the extent of annealing. Ductility in these materials with this range of grain sizes is generally low. This paper deals primarily with the lack of ductility in these classes of materials and will present a quasi-mathematical approach to this phenomenon. It will be shown that the influence of the plastic zone, the dislocation-free zone, and the grain size can be expressed by a unique formalism from which the propagation of cracks, and the lack of ductility, can be readily predicted. These deductions will become evident from the results of recent simulation experiments which will provide evidence to support the most essential elements of the approach presented in this paper.