Effective-Temperature Induced Shear Banding in the Shear-Transformation-Zone Theory of Plasticity

This paper examines the stability of a previously proposed version of the shear-transformation-zone (STZ) theory of plasticity where the total STZ population is determined by an effective temperature and compares it to experimental results for a metallic glass. In particular, the addition of effective temperature dynamics to the shear transformation zone theory leads to the existence of a range of strain rates for which the strain localizes into shear bands. Yet while the steady-state results qualitatively agree, the instability of the dynamics of the system while loading begins better describes the experimental observations.