On the Formation of Point Defects in Metals by Plastic Deformation

Abstract

AbstractThe observation that the geometrical characteristics of the dislocation network remain constant during plastic straining, the distribution diminishing only in scale, is shown to follow from a simple model of dislocation kinetics in cold‐work. This strain invariance of form is then used in deriving the equation dN/d∂ ≃ 20/b, b representing the lattice spacing, which accounts for the proportionality between the number N of vacancies generated by plastic deformation per unit volume, and the dislocation density ∂, as observed at low temperatures. The rate of vacancy production given by this relation agrees with experimental data available for aluminium, silver, and copper. The model also suggests explanations for the heterogeneity and other features of the dislocation distribution in deformed metals.