This special issue of Philosophical Magazine is dedicated to Frank Reginald Nunes Nabarro who was 90 years of age on 7 March 2006. It is no exaggeration to say that Professor Nabarro was present at the ‘creation’ of crystal plasticity and has led, contributed to, and guided many of the fundamental developments in this important branch of materials science since its inception in the 1930s. His distinguished career, beginning before World War II with degrees in physics and mathematics from Oxford, his activities during the war, his early research career at Bristol and Birmingham, followed by his long and close association with the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg (where he led and transformed the Physics Department), has been narrated with affection by Professor Jackson of the University of Natal for a Festschrift issued by the Royal Society of South Africa in 2003.
The name Nabarro is associated with many historic developments in crystal plasticity – the Mott–Nabarro theory of solid solution hardening, Peierls–Nabarro stress, Eshelby–Frank–Nabarro dislocation pile up and Nabarro–Herring creep are recognized examples. Less well known to materials scientists is the suggestion of using the Euler–Poincare characteristic to classify defects in liquid crystals.
Over the decades, his periodic, incisive reviews on work hardening, solid solution strengthening and aspects of the mathematical theory of crystal dislocations provided encouragement and inspiration to researchers in the field. His monograph Theory of Crystal Dislocations and his editorship of the encyclopaedic series of books on dislocations in solids have made, and are still making, an enduring impact. His most recent book Physics of Creep further demonstrates his range of scholarship.
Professor Nabarro is an inveterate world traveller and could be relied upon to be present at most international conferences on strength of metals and alloys, Gordon conferences and symposia of the TMS, Materials Research Society, etc. All of us remember Frank Nabarro as an inspiring participant at these meetings where he provided support and encouragement to young scientists, and was always able to detect new talent and emerging research fields.
Frank Nabarro has received many major awards and international acclaim, as listed in the previously mentioned publication by Jackson. This special issue of Philosophical Magazine, which has received a tremendous response, owes much to the persuasion of Hael Mughrabi and is a fitting tribute to a colossus in the field of crystal plasticity.
Georges Saada and Ali Argon