Strain percolation: physical considerations

In previous papers, we have introduced a percolation model for the transpor t of strain through a deforming metal. In this paper, we review the results from that model, and discuss how the model can be applied to the deformati on problem. We summarize the principal observational features of deformatio n and propose that the discrete percolation events correspond to slip line formation in a deforming metal. It is shown that the deforming solid is a s elf-organizing system. It is recognized that deformation is localized in sp ace and time, that deformation is fundamentally rate-dependent, that harden ing depends on relaxation processes associated with discrete percolating ev ents, and that secondary slip is an essential part of band growth and relax ation processes. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.