Autowave mechanics of metal plasticity

The model is proposed for the development of a localized plastic flow in solids. It is based on the representation of an interaction between plasticity carriers and acoustic emission signals in the course of elementary plasticity acts. It is shown that the plastic flow localization is a common feature of all deformation processes and can be observed throughout the process. Specific localization pictures, i.e. patterns of the localized plastic flow, are autowaves that are generated in a deformed medium by ordering its defect structure. Localized plasticity patterns correlate with the work hardening stages revealed in mechanical tests. A two-component model of the development of the localized deformation was proposed and analyzed to take into account the interaction of the elastic and plastic deformation components. This model describes the generation of localized plasticity autowaves in a number of materials. General regularities of the development of the localized plastic flow at different stages of work hardening are found. An elastic-plastic strain invariant is introduced to relate the elastic and plastic properties of materials. It is shown that basic properties of deformed media result from this invariant. Among consequences of the elastic-plastic strain invariant are the dependence of the velocity of the localized deformation of autowaves on the work hardening coefficient, the dispersion equation for autowaves, the scale effect of deformation localization, the dependence of autowave parameters on the grain size, the equation of the localized deformation autowave, the work hardening coefficient, the Taylor-Orowan equation of dislocation dynamics, the Hall-Petch relation, and the dependence of the mobile dislocation density on the strain.