The nature of yielding and anelasticity in metals

Recent reports in the literature identified pre-yield stress-strain nonlinearity and hysteresis (anelasticity) as occurring in metals at virtually all stresses. These observations raise foundational questions about metal deformation. Does a critical stress exist below which dislocations are immobile? Is there a critical stress for which permanent deformation occurs? Is anelasticity distinct from elasticity and plasticity? To answer such questions, special tensile tests with loading-unloading cycles after various prestrains were performed for 11 commercial sheet alloys: 9 AHSS (advanced high strength steels) and two Mg alloys. A dissipative dislocation bow-out model of anelasticity was derived that closely reproduces the experimental results and is consistent with the evolving experimental picture of anelasticity. Following prestrain, a finite yield stress was found to exist, below which no permanent deformation or hardening occurs. Anelasticity is distinct from elasticity and plasticity: it is recoverable and dissipative; mechanically reversible and thermodynamically irreversible. Corresponding tests of initial loading suggest radically different conclusions. Without prestrain, i.e. without a developed internal stress pattern, plastic deformation occurs near zero stress. A postulate of local and nonlocal interactions accounting for elastic, plastic and anelastic deformation was proposed. (C) 2021 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Acta Materialia Inc.

Automated summary

Recent literature reports have identified pre-yield stress-strain nonlinearity and hysteresis (anelasticity) occurring in metals at virtually all stresses. A finite yield stress was found to exist following prestrain, below which no permanent deformation or hardening occurs. Anelasticity is distinct from elasticity and plasticity, being recoverable and dissipative.