Toward a Shear-Transformation-Zone Theory of Amorphous Plasticity

Abstract

Our understanding of how solid objects bend and break seems poised for major progress because of recent developments in computational capabilities, in experimental techniques, especially high resolution microscopy, and in basic theoretical understanding of non-equilibrium phenomena. In this chapter, we describe some ideas in the theory of amorphous plasticity that have been inspired and enabled by these developments. We focus on two fundamental questions: (i) “How do materials undergo transitions from hardening to flow under applied stresses?” and (ii) “How best can the relevent aspects of microstructural dynamics be incorporated into constitutive theories?”