Influence of the grain size on the resistance of micro- and nanocrystalline metals against the neck-like localization of plastic deformation

The “high strength-low plasticity resource” dilemma associated with the macrolocalization of plastic deformation in the form of a neck in a stretched specimen, which leads to ductile failure of the specimen, has been theoretically discussed in the framework of the dislocation-kinetic approach. It has been quantitatively demonstrated using micro- and nanocrystalline metals as an example that their low plasticity resource (a small value of uniform strain before the beginning of the neck formation) and quasi-embrittlement result from the strong increase in the yield strength with a decrease in the grain size and the strain-hardening coefficient due to the annihilation of dislocations in the boundaries and bulk of grains.