The generation of acoustic harmonics by nonlinear dislocation motion is studied using several models in which the dislocations are initially bound in asymmetric potential wells from which they mas escape at large amplitudes of vibration. The models are the edge dipole, the glide loop stabilized by a center of dilation, and variants of these, each subjected to a sinusoidal stress of circular frequency &ohgr; = 2&pgr;×22.5×103s−1; in each case inertia‐like terms were negligible at this frequency. For each model we found the steady‐state response by numerical integration. The corresponding dislocation strain was expressed as a Fourier series, thenth term having the formAnsin(n&ohgr;t−&fgr;n). We obatined the variation of theAnas a function of the amplitude of the vibrational stress. Certain features are common to all the solutions: (i) for dislocations trapped in a potential wellAn∝An1; (ii) on escape from a well at higher amplitudes there is a peak inAn/A1and a sharp fall inAn/An1; (iii) a change in the effective symmetry of the motion on escape is reflected in a change in the relative proportions of even and odd harmonics. Our results are not inconsistent with the previous theoretical work. Comparison with the available data, although hampered by the lack of a really complete set, indicates that such behavior is observed. These patterns are expected only at fairly low values of &ohgr;, such that the damping force does not overshadow the dislocation restoring force.