Electric current-induced annealing during uniaxial tension of aluminum alloy

The mechanical behavior of an aluminum alloy under a pulsed electric current was investigated by uniaxial tension and subsequent microstructural observations. The elongation increased drastically with softening of the flow stress under the electric current. Microstructural observations confirmed that the effect of Joule heating on this softening is not dominant and the recovery of dislocation occurs at a given current density. This study proves that the electric current itself could play a distinct role in inducing annealing apart from Joule heating.