ABSTRACT
Metals are inherently ductile materials. They can withstand large plastic deformations before fracture, even at low temperatures. This chapter deals with the mechanisms of plastic deformation, focusing on the principal mechanism of dislocation glide. It starts with the fundamentals of single crystal plasticity and generalizes for polycrystalline aggregates. The plastic deformation of polycrystalline aggregates is more complicated than the deformation of single crystals. Deformation processing causes strong anisotropy in polycrystalline metals due to the development of preferred orientations. The chapter discusses the mechanisms of annealing. Annealing leads to material softening and the metal can regain its ability for further plastic deformation. Annealing is a process involving several stages such as recovery, recrystallization and grain growth. The mechanisms activated during recovery depend on annealing temperature since each mechanism exhibits the different activation energy. Annealing comprises of three stages: recovery, recrystallization and grain growth. During recovery, the dislocations rearrange into lower energy configurations.
