A theory of finite elastoviscoplasticity of single crystals

Abstract The present paper aims at constructing a finite theory of the elastoviscoplastic behaviour of single crystals based on the theoretical and experimental results concerning the microdynamics of crystal defects. Special attention is paid to the macroscopic description of the viscous deformation produced by the motion of point defects. The thermodynamic laws are applied in a unified way on both microscopic and macroscopic levels. Finally, the existence of a generalized viscoplastic potential is proved under hypotheses based on the microscopic physical analysis.