DISLOCATION DENSITY EVOLUTION EQUATION AND STRAIN-HARDENING OF FCC CRYSTALS

Using the equation of the dislocation density evolution which includes the process of dislocation multiplication at obstacles of dislocation and nondislocation origin and the process of dislocation annihilation, the strain hardening curves of some f.c.c. and b.c.c. metallic crystals and polycrystals are analysed. A method of experimental and theoretical treatment of the curves is proposed allowing to obtain information concerning the influence of crystal microstructure on the coefficients of the evolution equation. Particular attention is given to receive quantitative data of the process of dislocation annihilation at temperatures lower than 0.4Tm, Tm is the melting temperature. It is found that the annihilation coefficient of dislocations in f.c.c. metals changes approximately linearly with temperature in this temperature region. Copyright © 1990 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA