Stored and dissipated energy of plastic deformation revisited from the viewpoint of dislocation kinetics modelling approach

In the present work, we revisited the classical topic of elastic energy storage during strain hardening of metals from a perspective of the analytically tractable thermodynamic modelling framework inspired by the widely accepted phenomenological single-variable dislocation evolution approach. The model versatility has been extended towards predicting the energy partitioning during plastic flow. With a total dislocation density serving as a principal variable governing strain hardening during constant strain rate tensile tests, we have been able to demonstrate a very good predictive capability of the proposed analytical solutions. Besides the simplicity, the flexibility and predictive power of the obtained analytical solutions suggest that the entire approach can be used for further modelling, where the emphasis should be placed on the integration of various possible mechanisms of heat dissipation into the proposed framework. Although the examples of successful application of the model refer to the low-carbon austenitic stainless 316L steel, their adaptation to other fcc, bcc or hcp metals is rather straightforward.