Amorphous alloys, also known as metallic glasses, are a type of novel amorphous material discovered by chance. This discovery has greatly enriched the field of metal physics, spurred the rapid development of amorphous physics and materials science, and propelled amorphous physics to the forefront of condensed matter physics. As an important and challenging branch of this discipline, amorphous physics now plays a pivotal role in understanding the complexities of non-crystalline materials. Amorphous materials, characterized by their unique properties, are not only widely used in daily life and high-tech fields but also serve as model systems for studying significant scientific issues within materials science and condensed matter physics. This paper provides a comprehensive review of amorphous alloys, discussing major scientific issues and challenges in amorphous science, the formation mechanisms of these materials, their structural characteristics, and their physical and mechanical properties. Additionally, it explores the various applications of amorphous materials and forecasts future research trends, significant issues, development prospects, and directions within this vibrant field.

Coral sand particles exhibit a wide range of shapes, which can be divided into four shapes, e.g., blocky, dendritic and rodlike, flaky, and shell debris. The particle shape of these mixtures is defined by the sphericity, concavity, aspect ratio, flatness and overall regularity, which ranges from 0 to 1. The effect of particle shape on the strength, crushing characteristics, and critical state parameter is systematically investigated through a series of triaxial drainage shear tests under different confining pressures. And the relationship between critical state parameters and mechanical parameters is established. The test results demonstrate the existence of an evident strain-hardening phenomenon in the stress–strain curve of coral sand, accompanied by a strain-softening phenomenon when the bias stress reaches its peak value. The sample is initially subjected to shear shrinkage, followed by shear expansion. The volumetric deformation of the coral sand decreased with increasing peripheral pressure. The particles are transformed from rough irregular shapes to smooth spheres as evidenced by an increase in the shape parameter. The greater the degree of irregularity in the shape of the particles, the more pronounced the resulting change in size reduction. In addition, the critical state parameter was found to be influenced by the shape of the coral sand particles and the mode of particle accumulation. The overall shear resistance of coral sand particles was found to depend on particle rearrangement in addition to particle surface roughness and interparticle friction. It is proposed that the general regularity critical state parameter equation relates the particle shape of coral sand to its critical state mechanical properties, which is of great importance to the practical application and research of coral sand in engineering, and provides an effective means of predicting mechanical properties granular materials.

Soil contamination by heavy metals threatens human health, and the disposal of heavy metal- contaminated soil remains a serve problem worldwide. The heavy metals in soil degrade soil mechanical properties, while the utilization of contaminated soil is difficult. In previous studies, to decrease the impact of heavy metals, different types of cement and fibres were used to improve soil mechanical properties. This paper investigates the validity of combined use of wheat straw fibre and Portland cement in heavy metal-contaminated soil, and discusses the effect in mechanical properties. Wheat straw reinforced soil (WS), wheat straw and cement reinforced soil (WCS) and wheat straw and cement reinforced heavy metal-contaminated soil (WCCS), were tested via different heavy metal content and type, different fibre content and length, different cement content and curing age. The unconfined compressive strength (UCS), failure strain, deformation modulus, cohesion and internal friction angle were determined by series of unconfined compressive strength tests and direct shear tests.