Abstract
A simple model of the dynamic balance between deformation induced dislocation generation and climb controlled dislocation annihilation in subgrain walls is outlined. This results in a stress-subgrain size relationship which involves various material properties, including the creep stress exponent and the creep diffusivity.Assuming a fixed slip distance for mobile dislocations, the theory predicts that the subgrain
size (d) depends on the stress (σ) as