DISLOCATION DYNAMICS .1. A PROPOSED METHODOLOGY FOR DEFORMATION MICROMECHANICS

A new methodology in computational micromechanics, dislocation dynamics (DD), is introduced. Dislocation dynamics is developed for examining the dynamic behavior of dislocation distributions in solid materials. Under conditions of externally applied stress, dislocations exhibit glide with a velocity proportional to a power of the applied stress m and climb motion with a velocity that is a function of the applied stress and temperature. These motions result from long-range force fields, comprising both externally applied stress and long-range interactions between individual dislocations. Short-range reactions are represented as discrete events. The DD methodology is to be differentiated from particle methods in statistical mechanics (e.g., molecular dynamics and the Monte Carlo method) in two respects. First, DD is developed to study the dynamical behavior of defects in the solid. Generally, the density of defects is less than that of the particles that make up the solid. Second, the small number of dislocations allows for a complete dynamical representation of the evolution of dislocations in the material medium without the requirement of statistical averaging. The purpose of the DD methodology is to bridge the gap between experimentally observed phenomena and theoretical descriptions of dislocation aggregates, particularly the evolution of self-organized dislocation structures under temperature, stress, and irradiation conditions. © 1990 The American Physical Society.