The plastic flow stress of metals and alloys in the superconducting and normal states

Abstract

The observed difference in plasticity in the normal and superconducting states in metals and alloys has been attributed by most authors to an electron-dislocation interaction. Granato has associated this interaction with a dislocation damping property. We suggest a different model, in which the dislocation is thermally activated over a barrier whose effective temperature is raised by dislocation kinetic energy and which cools at a rate dependent on the thermal conductivity. State differences in flow stress are then attributed to differences in conductivity. While previous models have been used to describe the temperature dependence of the flow stress difference alone, this paper describes several other aspects of the phenomenon which demonstrate the validity of our model.