An overview was presented of low-energy dislocation structure theory as applied to low-temperature non-creep dislocation-based crystal plasticity. This had been developed over 35 years, starting from Taylor's work-hardening theory; which assumed that an applied stress caused the essentially instantaneous athermal generation of dislocation structures which were in equilibrium with the applied stress. It was also assumed that stress release and reversal were stable up to the previously highest stress. It was shown here that low-energy dislocation structure could easily explain the 4 stages of work-hardening, the shape of the stress-strain curve, the temperature-dependence of work-hardening, the low-temperature strain-rate dependence of the flow stress, the difference between planar- and wavy-glide materials (a-brass and Cu, respectively), the empirical relationship between dislocation cell-size and flow-stress, grain-boundary hardening, alloy hardening (including solid-solution, precipitation and phase-boundary), slip lines/bands, evolution of dislocation structures from stages I to IV, deformation-texture evolution, work-softening, the thermodynamics of dislocation storage, recovery, creep and recrystallization, and the development of dislocation structures during fatigue. All of these were easily explained merely on the basis of the known properties of glide dislocations and the second law of thermodynamics. The alternative self-organizing dislocation model for crystal plasticity assumed that plastic deformation was due to individual thermally activated processes which could be treated in terms of the thermodynamics of energy flow-through systems. It had yet to yield any significant results.

The Theory of Dislocation-Based Crystal Plasticity. D.Kuhlmann-Wilsdorf: Philosophical Magazine A, 1999, 79[4], 955-1008