A KINETICS FORMULATION FOR LOW-TEMPERATURE PLASTICITY

The mechanism of low-temperature plastic deformation is controlled by thermally activated dislocation movements. An evolutionary constitutiv e law based on the principles of deformation kinetics is described in this article. The constitutive law is expressed with a sinh function d esigned for computational efficiency. It is derived from rigorously de fined kinetics principles. The approximation involved in the sinh func tion is defined so that in applications an exact evaluation can be mad e of the validity limits. The system of the constitutive law and the e xternal constraints lead to the operational equations. Applications ar e developed for constant strain-rate loading, constant stress-rate loa ding, stress relaxation, creep, and ratchetting processes. The analysi s provides a unified treatment for low-temperature plastic deformation .