Numerical implementation of static Field Dislocation Mechanics theory for periodic media

This paper investigates the implementation of Field Dislocation Mechanics (FDM) theory for media with a periodic microstructure (i.e. the Nye dislocation tensor and the elastic moduli tensor are considered as spatially periodic continuous fields). In this context, the uniqueness of the stress and elastic distortion fields is established. This allows to propose an efficient numerical scheme based on Fourier transform to compute the internal stress field, for a given spatial distribution of dislocations and applied macroscopic stress. This numerical implementation is assessed by comparison with analytical solutions for homogeneous as well as heterogeneous elastic media. A particular insight is given to the critical case of stress-free dislocation microstructures which represent equilibrium solutions of the FDM theory.