The dislocation density, flow stress and stored energy in deformed polycrystalline copper

Abstract The relationships between the dislocation density, flow stress and stored energy in polycrystalline copper have been determined experimentally. The stored energy can be predicted from the observed density and distribution of dislocations. The flow stress–stored energy and flow stress–dislocation density relationships can be accounted for if the flow stress is attributed either to the stress required for a dislocation to penetrate the forest of dislocations, or to the stress required to move jogged dislocations.