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Environment Assisted Cracking

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Mechanical Behaviour of Materials

Part of the book series: Solid Mechanics and Its Applications ((SMIA,volume 191))

Abstract

Hydrogen embrittlement is due to the introduction of hydrogen either from a gaseous or from a liquid environment. The solubility of hydrogen in iron is temperature dependent. So is the diffusion. At low temperatures traps control the diffusion of hydrogen. Supersaturation of hydrogen results in the precipitation of cavities. The modification of the surface energy results in hydrogen enhanced decohesion; its interaction with dislocations in hydrogen enhanced local plasticity. Crack propagation takes place above a stress intensity factor threshold. When it is high enough stress-independent crack propagation is controlled by the diffusion of hydrogen. Embrittlement of hydride forming metals is due to the brittleness of the hydrides. Stress corrosion cracking initiation and propagation depend on anodic dissolution and cathodic hydrogen introduction. This interacts with slip mechanisms. Crack propagation stops below a critical stress intensity factor threshold. It becomes stress independent at higher levels of stress intensity factor. Similar mechanisms are responsible for corrosion fatigue. The cases of long and of short cracks are distinguished. Liquid metal induced embrittlement is due to modification of the surface energy. Liquid embrittling metals also reduce the cohesion energy and the core energy of dislocations. The same embrittling metals are active in the solid state resulting in solid metal induced embrittlement.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Svante August Arrhenius (1859–1927) was a Swedish chemist who won the Nobel Prize in 1903.

  2. 2.

    Pierre Curie (1859–1906) was a French physicist winner of the Nobel Prize with his wife Marie Curie in 1903.

  3. 3.

    Piotr Alexandrovitch Rehbinder (1898–1972) was a Russian physico-chemist. He discovered the “Rehbinder effect” in 1928.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. École Centrale de Paris, Paris, France

    Prof. Dr. Dominique François

  2. École des Mines de Paris Paris Tech Centre des Matériaux UMR CNRS, Évry Cedex, France

    André Pineau

  3. Academy of Engineering, Paris, France

    André Pineau & Prof. André Zaoui

  4. French Académie des Sciences, Paris, France

    Prof. André Zaoui

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  2. André Pineau
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François, D., Pineau, A., Zaoui, A. (2013). Environment Assisted Cracking. In: Mechanical Behaviour of Materials. Solid Mechanics and Its Applications, vol 191. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4930-6_7

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