Slip avalanches in crystal plasticity: scaling of the avalanche cut-off

Plastic deformation of crystals proceeds through a sequence of intermittent slip avalanches with scale-free (power-law) size distribution. On macroscopic scales, however, plastic. ow is known to be smooth and homogeneous. In this paper we use a recently proposed continuum model of slip avalanches to systematically investigate the nature of the cut-off which truncates scale-free behaviour at large avalanche sizes. The dependence of the cut-off on system size, geometry, and driving mode, but also on intrinsic parameters such as the strain hardening rate is established. Implications for the observability of avalanche behaviour in microscopic and macroscopic samples are discussed.