The relaxation kinetics of various non-equilibrium dislocation ensembles which formed in grain boundaries during superplastic deformation were analyzed. This analysis laid the foundations of a series of models for the micro-mechanisms of deformation and for the accommodation of grain-boundary sliding. All of these agreed with the experimentally derived dependence of the superplastic deformation rate upon the applied stress. The mechanisms had various degrees of effectiveness, operated at differing levels of applied stress, and depended upon the triple-junction geometries and grain sizes.

A.A.Nazarov: Materials Science Forum, 1997, 243-245, 31-40