Causality in the Bauschinger effect generation and in other deformation processes in metals

•General model description, yield criterion proposed.•Changes of the yield criterion due to plastic deformation.•Creep under constant tensile stress after reaching up to the yield limit.•Relaxation under constant strain after reaching up to the yield limit.

The phenomenon of Bauschinger effect and of other generally known deformation processess of metals is explained and modeled on the mesoscale. The basic feature of the model consists in the use of tensorial internal variables that have explicit physical meaning – internal mesomechanical stresses. The metallic materials under consideration are modeled as two-phase media with two substructures, one compliant and the other resistant. It is shown that Bauschinger effect and other deformation phenomena observed in most metallic materials can be explained and described as results of interplays of these substructures.