The effect of a direct-current electric field (1kV/cm) upon the plastic deformation of polycrystalline 3N-purity material was studied in compression at 23 to 532C, using a strain rate of 8.3 x 10−4/s. After factoring-out the effect of Joule heating, it was found that the reduction in flow stress which was produced by the field increased with homologous temperature from 0.28 to 0.4, reached a maximum at an homologous temperature of 0.4, and then decreased to zero at an homologous temperature of 0.75. It was suggested that the reduction in flow stress resulted from an enhancement of cross-slip due to an increase in stacking-fault energy. The field had no detectable effect upon the plastic deformation kinetics, for a given structure, at homologous temperatures of 0.28 to 0.6 (cutting of forest dislocations). It also did not appear to have any significant effect upon dislocation glide and climb at an homologous temperature of 0.75.

Influence of an Electric Field on the Plastic Deformation of Polycrystalline NaCl at Elevated Temperatures. D.Yang, H.Conrad: Acta Materialia, 1998, 46[6], 1963-8