Microstructural development during plastic deformation up to high strains was modelled by means of 4-component reaction kinetics for the densities of mobile and immobile dislocations and disclinations. The resultant system of non-linear differential equations could describe the transition from dislocation-dominated to disclination-controlled kinetics, into a quasi-steady state, and finally into an instability. Three contributions were taken into account when estimating the resultant flow stress. These were a redundant dislocation contribution that was governed by a Taylor law, a sub-grain size contribution that was governed by a Hall-Petch relationship, and a misorientation contribution. New relationships, based upon stochastic geometry, were used to relate the sessile-disclination density to the mean sub-grain size and mean misorientation.

Interpretation of Plastic Deformation by Means of Dislocation-Disclination Reaction Kinetics. M.Seefeldt, P.Klimanek: Materials Science and Engineering A, 1997, 234-236, 758-61