Microcracks and inhomogeneously distributed defects in solids

TL;DR

This paper introduces a model for inhomogeneous microdefect distribution in crystalline solids, developing a method to calculate their impact on physical properties, which significantly exceeds the effects of homogeneous defect distributions.

Contribution

It presents a novel approach to quantify how inhomogeneous defect distributions affect physical properties of solids, including electrical and mechanical characteristics.

Findings

Inhomogeneous defects have a much larger impact than homogeneous ones.

Calculated effects on electric conductivity, Hall effect, and magnetoresistance.

Elastic energy relaxation facilitates crack propagation and explains metal lamination.

Abstract

A conception of inhomogeneous locally random distribution of microdefects in crystalline solids is proposed. A method to calculate some physical properties of solids, containing inhomogeneously distributed defects, is developed. A contribution of this inhomogeneity to a series of physical properties is calculated and discussed. This contribution exceeds that of homogeneously distributed defects by the orders of magnitude. A contribution of the inhomogeneity to electric conductivity, Hall effect and magnetoresistance is calculated. Elastic energy and volume of inhomogeneously dislocated crystal are regarded. It was shown that the relaxation of the elastic energy of random dislocations during propagation of a crack facilitates the process. These results explained a phenomenon of lamination of overdeformed metals.