The probability distribution of internal stresses in externally loaded 2D dislocation systems

The distribution of internal shear stresses in a 2D dislocation system is investigated when external shear stress is applied. This problem serves as a natural continuation of the previous work of Csikor and Groma (Csikor F F and Groma I 2004 Phys. Rev. B 58 2969), where analytical result was given for the stress distribution function at zero applied stress. First, the internal stress distribution generated by a set of randomly positioned ideal dislocation dipoles is studied. Analytical calculations are carried out for this case. The theoretical predictions are checked by numerical simulations showing perfect agreement. It is found that for real relaxed dislocation configurations the role of dislocation multipoles cannot be neglected, but the theory presented can still be applied.