Abstract
A homogeneous dislocation distribution in deformed metals is unstable with respect to clustering of dislocation dipoles. The main reason for formation of the dislocation clusters is a net dipole drift to stress concentrations created by glide dislocations in a applied stress state. Linear stability analysis indicates that the suggested model gives a reasonable description of the most important features of the early stage of dislocation structure development as observed in metal crystals in single slip under both unidirectional and cyclic deformation