Residual (irreversible) deformations of solids were observed under very low stresses for strains epsilon approximate to 10(-6), which in the literature are traditionally classed in the elastic region. Inelastic deformations appeared in this range for all types of solids (mono- and polycrystals of plastic and brittle materials, amorphous solids) differing strongly in nature and physicomechanical properties. These deformations can be classified as a special form of inelastic deformations-quasimicroplastic-and quasimicroplasticity can be classified as a fundamental property of solids. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S1063-7850(99)00609-6].
