A new model, for shock-induced stress relaxation, was based upon the multiplication and motion of partial dislocations which bounded a stacking fault. A shock-generated high shear stress led to stretching of the lateral branches of a bowed-out dislocation segment (half-loop), followed by collapse of those branches. The result of the collapse was the formation of a fresh partial dislocation loop which bounded the stacking fault area, and of an initial dislocation half-loop; both of which could promote the next multiplication operation. After every collapse time interval, the process led to a doubling of both the dislocation concentration and the total area of stacking fault. The energy dissipation rate behind the shock front increased exponentially, but was expected to be limited as soon as cross-slip of the fresh loops was impeded and loop doubling was stopped.

E.Zaretsky: Acta Metallurgica et Materialia, 1995, 43[1], 193-8