Detailed analysis of plastic shear in the Raman spectra of SiO2 glass

Raman spectroscopy is a useful experimental tool to investigate local deformation and structural changes in SiO2-based glasses. Using a semi-classical modeling of Raman spectra in large samples of silica glasses, we show in this paper that shear plastic flow affects the Raman measurement in the upper part of the spectrum. We relate these changes to structural modifications, as well as a detailed analysis of the vibration modes computed in the same frequency range. These results open the door to in situ monitoring of plastic damage in silica-based structures. (c) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.