  The effect of alternating shear orientation during cyclic loading on the
relaxation dynamics in disordered solids is examined using molecular dynamics
simulations. The model glass was initially prepared by rapid cooling from the
liquid state and then subjected to cyclic shear along a single plane or
periodically alternated in two or three dimensions. We showed that with
increasing strain amplitude in the elastic range, the system is relocated to
deeper energy minima. Remarkably, it was found that each additional alternation
of the shear orientation in the deformation protocol brings the glass to lower
energy states. The results of mechanical tests after more than a thousand shear
cycles indicate that cyclic loading leads to the increase in strength and
shear-modulus anisotropy.
