A wine glass breaks when it falls from hand or is hammered. But when a metallic object (say, a container) is hammered, it only deforms without breaking. Why? Is it somehow related to the fact that glass is amorphous while metal is not?
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asked Apr 30, 2018 at 15:07
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$\begingroup$ Related: https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/368262/why-are-metals-malleable-and-ductile/368298#368298 $\endgroup$– ChemomechanicsCommented Apr 30, 2018 at 15:20
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$\begingroup$ And yet metals can exhibit brittle fracture as well... $\endgroup$– Jon CusterCommented Apr 30, 2018 at 15:43
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$\begingroup$ "But a metal glass when hammered..." - Does your question involve metallic glasses or just ordinary crystalline metals? You say "metal glass" in this one sentence but the rest of your post makes it sound like you're just asking about ordinary metals. $\endgroup$– user93237Commented Apr 30, 2018 at 16:28
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$\begingroup$ @SamuelWeir I've made some edits to make it clearer. $\endgroup$– SolidificationCommented Apr 30, 2018 at 16:53
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at room temperature, there are nanoscale deformation mechanisms available to most metals which allow them to withstand plastic flow without fracture. these deformation mechanisms (primarily dislocation glide and climb) are absent in glasses, which tend instead to shatter when stressed in tension.
answered Apr 30, 2018 at 17:11