Peierls stress is a concept in materials science and solid mechanics that refers to the minimum shear stress required to move a dislocation in a crystal lattice. Dislocations are defects in the crystal structure that enable plastic deformation, and their movement is essential for allowing materials to deform under stress. In crystalline materials, dislocations can move when the applied shear stress exceeds a certain threshold known as the Peierls stress.
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A lattice-friction stress for dislocation glide, associated with Rudolf Peierls and Frank Nabarro. A simple model gives , where is core width and the Burgers vector magnitude. Spreading slip over many atomic rows reduces the periodic energy barrier; narrower cores are harder to move in this model.