Wave phenomena during creep in macrocrystalline aluminum

A wave model of plastic flow, which has been theoretically substantiated and experimentally verified under the conditions of active quasistatic loading of diverse materials, is being developed on the basis of concepts of the autocatalytic nature of elementary acts of plastic deformation. Data from the study of the evolution of distortion fields during low-temperature creep of macrocrystalline aluminum are given in order to explain the tighter relation between the parameters of plastic-deformation waves and the characteristics of the elementary processes of plastic shear. The wave nature of this evolution is emphasized and a linear correlation is found between the creep rate and the velocity of the plasticity waves. The activation volumes of the processes controlling the velocity of the plastic waves and the creep rate are shown to be correlated.