A Theory of the Yield Point and the Transition Temperature of Mild Steel
Abstract Experimental results indicate the dependence of the yield-point phenomenon of mild steel on temperature, strain rate, duration of stress, and stress state. This paper proposes a yield criterion which can account for these variables. The theory is developed on the basis of a “structural” model, by which the behavior of microscopic and submicroscopic elements is idealized. The theory postulates as yield criterion a critical number of relaxation centers (active Frank-Read sources) or, equivalently, a critical size of relaxation centers. The transition-temperature phenomenon is considered to be the result of an inhibition of yielding (upper yield point) by means of geometry, temperature and/or strain rate. A relation is given which expresses its dependence on the state of stress and strain rate.