It was noted that point-defect generation in body-centered cubic metals had not been studied very actively; mainly because, at low temperatures (starting at ambient), the lattice friction and interstitial solute effects were so large. A new method permitted a lowering of the matrix interstitial solute content to below 1ppm[wt] in Ti-stabilized interstitial-free steel so as to produce ultra-fine grain sizes by continuous recrystallization. This offered the opportunity of examining the effect of point-defect production in pure Fe. The strain-rate sensitivity, measured at homologous temperatures of 0.18 to 0.28, did not indicate the presence of dynamically recoverable debris. However, the magnitude of the strain-rate sensitivity was greatly affected by the concentration of interstitial C. One possible explanation for the observations was that the debris generated consisted of glissile interstitial loops whose mobility was impeded by C.

The Possible Role of Point Defects during Plastic Deformation of IF Steel. S.Saimoto, B.J.Diak: Materials Science and Engineering A, 2002, 322[1-2], 228-32