Localized instability of plastic deformation at dynamic loading caused by nonequilibrium transitions in defect ensembles

Mechanisms of plastic shear localization in a material under dynamic loading are studied theoretically and experimentally. These mechanisms are associated with collective effects occurring in the ensemble of microdefects in spatially localized regions. In-situ infra red scanning of the instability zone and a subsequent analysis of the dislocation substructure lend support to the supposition that nonequilibrium transitions in defect ensembles play a decisive role in the development of localized plastic flow. The equations relating nonequilibrium transitions to the mechanisms of structural relaxation and plastic flow are used to simulate localizations of plastic deformation.