The feedback loop between theory, simulation and experiment for plasticity and property modeling

Recent advances in theory, simulation and experiment are leading to new capabilities for understanding and characterizing the relation between dislocation substructure evolution and materials properties and performance. With the emergence of large-scale computational capabilities, techniques such as three-dimensional discrete dislocation dynamics simulations are providing new insights to a range of materials deformation phenomena. Such simulations provide direct measures of dislocation motion and substructure development at small and continuously increasing length scales and time scales. Concurrently, the advent of new experimental techniques promises to revolutionize our ability to directly characterize dislocation substructures and their relationship to the microstructure of a range of material systems. Taken by themselves, the simulations and experiments will greatly advance our understanding of materials behavior. We argue, however, that close linkage of the two will provide critically needed validation and enable progress in solving some of the most challenging problems of plasticity, thereby profoundly impacting our ability to predict properties and performance of materials in engineered systems.