A theoretical, computational and experimental research program will be undertaken to develop a new framework for plasticity which will be capable of describing the deformation process when the length scale over which there are high strain gradients is too small for the conventional continuum theory of plasticity to explain, yet is large compared to the size of the relevant microstructure (e.g., dislocation structures or particles). The main focus of this investigation will be on the flow strength of materials containing elastic reinforcements (i.e., metal-matrix composites) and the manner in which these reinforcements interact with the matrix flow field over a wide range of size scales.
