Back stress in dislocation creep. Part 1: Basic concepts and measuring techniques

A theory is proposed whereby the plastic deformation of metal materials is determined by the difference between the applied stress and the back stress which characterizes the resistance of the material to plastic deformation. The back stress is usually equivalent to the internal stress or the friction stress and depends on the magnitude of the applied stress and temperature. The concept of back stress is applied to the case of the dislocation creep of precipitation-hardened or dispersion-strengthened metal materials. An additivity rule is formulated which can be useful in interpreting the creep behavior of such materials.