Multiscale Phenomena in Plasticity: From Experiments to Phenomenology, Modelling and Materials Engineering

The various scales of the physical phenomena occurring during plastic flow are reviewed from the atomic level to the constitutive laws, from both theoretical and experimental sides. The fundamentals of plastic flow are revisited, revealing the impact of recent experimental breakthroughs on the theoretical formulation. New developments (constrained plasticity, indentation) are also addressed. The importance of atomic scale phenomena on macroscopic mechanical behaviour are demonstrated in the case of cross-slip and its influence on fatigue properties, and in the effect of hydrogen on ductility. These developments emphasize the importance of the numerical methods used to connect the various scales and show that much remains to be done in this area. Classical fundamental problems, such as the brittle to ductile transition, are described by both experimentalists and theoreticians, as are constrained and heterogeneous deformation.