ABSTRACT

One avenue being pursued in the development of dislocation-based models of
plasticity is the explicit simulation of the dynamics of dislocations, based
on the recognition that such dislocations are the carriers of plasticity. The
construction of models of dislocation dynamics requires insights into both the
nucleation and interaction of dislocations, many of the details of which fall
outside the domain of validity of the linear theory of elasticity The aim of
the present paper is to show how preliminary steps have been made to elucidate
the mechanisms of dislocation nucleation and interaction, and to illustrate
how such information can be imported into explicit models of dislocation
dynamics. This effort reflects, in part. the research program of Gilles Canova,
to whom the present volume is dedicated and to whom the authors dedicate this
paper.