I don't know why this isn't discussed in depth in undergrad textbooks on materials, but apparently it isn't. One probably has to go to the journals to learn the details. One thing to keep in mind is that most metal alloys are polycrystalline with variable composition at the grain and subgrain level. In addition grains have different sizes and crystallographic orientation.
Luders, Lueders, Lüders, and Luder's, Lueder's, Lüder's lines or bands (also called 'stetcher strain marks', Hartmann lines, Piobert lines) occur when steel and some Al-Mg alloys which experience yield point elongation. It is caused by local yielding in material that otherwise doesn't yield, so there are adjacent regions with variations on local plastic strain. The phenomenon is also described as discontinuous or non-uniform yielding.
See Lüders lines at http://nhml.com/resources_NHML_Definitions.php
Yield Point Elongation - In materials that exhibit a yield point, the Yield Point Elongation (YPE) is the difference between the elongation of the specimen at the start and at the finish of discontinuous yielding (the area in which an increase in strain occurs without an increase in stress).
http://www.steel-trp.org/TRPGreenBook2006/9944factsheet.pdf
Yield point elongation (YPE) is considered undesirable for surfacecritical
applications where the steel is formed, since “strain lines” Luders bands are created during forming.
In iron and low carbon steel, C and N atoms pin dislocations, with the pinning so strong that YPE occurs.
See
Yield Point Elongation in Al-Mg Alloys
See also page 5 of - http://udf-cat.tstu.edu.ua/fileserver/Engeneering/Science%20of%20materials/Science%20of%20materials/3%203.6%20solid%20solution%20hardening..pdf use 'save target as' to save pdf
On the Propagation of Lüders Bands in Steel Strips
http://scitation.aip.org/getabs/servlet/GetabsServlet?prog=normal&id=JAMCAV000067000004000645000001&idtype=cvips&gifs=yes
Phenomenological theory of Lüders bands
http://www.springerlink.com/content/l9t08n85h4483652/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lüder_band
Lüder bands often are a result of strain ageing by discontinuous yielding and can be commercially important for producing wrinkled lined finishes.
Rolling sheet material to 0.5% to 1.5% (~1.0%) reduction of thickness apparently eliminates or reduces yield point elongation.