Defect-induced instabilities in condensed media

Some universal responses of condensed media to intense loads are studied. This behavior is attributed to the evolution of ensembles of mesoscopic defects (microcracks, microshears). It is shown that there exist several types of attractors which control the evolution of ensembles of defects under conditions of nonequilibrium transitions. The role of these transitions in the development of anomalies of the deformational behavior of solids and instabilities during fluid flow is discussed. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 9, 714–721 (10 May 1998)