Abstract
The film-induced cleavage model of stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) has been tested using an Ag-20 at. pct Au alloy in 1 M HClO4 solution. Brittle cracks, both intergranular (IG) and transgranular (TG) in nature, were formed by high-speed loading of a thin foil covered with a dealloyed (nanoporous gold) layer. These cracks were found to propagate through the dealloyed layer and into the uncorroded bulk face-centered cubic (fcc) material for a distance of many microns. Hydrogen embrittlement (HE) can be excluded on thermodynamic grounds; thus, only film-induced cleavage can explain the observed decoupling of stress and corrosion in the fracture process.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
F.P. Ford: inEmbrittlement by the Localized Crack Environment, R.P. Gangloff, ed., TMS-AIME, Warrendale, PA, 1984, pp. 117–47.
F.A. Champion and H.L. Logan:J. Res. Nat. Bur. Stand., 1952, vol. 48, pp. 99–105.
D.A. Vermilyea:J. Electrochem. Soc., 1972, vol. 119, pp. 405–07.
R.A. Oriani: inStress Corrosion Cracking and Hydrogen Embrittlement of Iron Base Alloys, NACE, Houston, TX, 1973, pp. 351–58.
H.K. Birnbaum: inAtomistics of Fracture, R.M. Latanision and J.R. Pickens, eds., Plenum Press, New York, NY, 1983.
H. Vehoff and W. Rothe:Acta Metall., 1983, vol. 31, pp. 1781–93.
S.P. Lynch:Acta Metall., 1988, vol. 36, pp. 2639–61.
N.J. Petch and P. Stables:Nature (London), 1952, vol. 169, pp. 842–43.
H.H. Uhlig: inFundamental Aspects of Stress Corrosion Cracking, R.W. Staehle, A.J. Forty, and D.van Rooyen, eds., NACE, Houston, TX, 1969, p. 86.
K. Sieradzki and R.C. Newman:Phil. Mag. A, 1985, vol. 51, pp. 95–132.
K. Sieradzki and R.C. Newman:J. Phys. Chem. Solids, 1987, vol. 48, pp. 1101–13.
C. Edeleanu and A.J. Forty:Phil. Mag., 1960, vol. 46, p. 521.
J.R. Galvele:Corros. Sci., 1987, vol. 27, pp. 1–33.
F.P. Ford: inCorrosion Processes, R.N. Parkins, ed., Applied Science Publishers, Barking, Essex, United Kingdom, 1982.
R.N. Parkins:Corros. Sci., 1980, vol. 20, pp. 147–66.
A. Rota and H. Böhni: inElectrochemical Methods in Corrosion Research, B. Elsener, ed., Trans Tech Publications Ltd., Zurich, Switzerland, 1989, p. 177.
L. Graf and J. Budke:Z. Metallkd., 1955, vol. 46, p. 378.
L. Graf: inFundamental Aspects of Stress Corrosion Cracking, R.W. Staehle, A.J. Forty, and D. van Rooyen, eds., NACE, Houston, TX, 1969, pp. 187–201.
R.C. Newman, K. Sieradzki, and H.S. Isaacs:Metall. Trans. A, 1982, vol. 13A, pp. 2015–26.
E.N. Pugh:Corrosion, 1985, vol. 41, pp. 517–46.
A.K. Tiller: inStress Corrosion Cracking and Hydrogen Embrittlement of Iron Base Alloys, NACE, Houston, TX, 1973, pp. 332–50.
A. Turnbull: inEmbrittlement by the Localized Crack Environment, R.P. Gangloff, ed., TMS-AIME, Warrendale, PA, 1984. pp. 3–31.
U. Bertocci:J. Electrochem. Soc., 1989, vol. 136, pp. 1887–92.
C.D. Beachem:Metall. Trans., 1972, vol. 3, pp. 437–51.
R.C. Newman, T. Shahrabi, and K. Sieradzki:Scripta Metall., 1989, vol. 23, pp. 71–74.
R.N. Parkins: inEnvironment Sensitive Fracture: Evaluation and Comparison of Test Methods, S.W. Dean, E.N. Pugh, and G.M. Ugiansky, eds., ASTM, Philadelphia, PA, 1984, p. 5.
K. Sieradzki and R. Li: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, unpublished research, 1988.
P.M. Ajayan and L.D. Marks:Phys. Rev. Lett., 1988, vol. 60, pp. 585–87.
E.N. Pugh, J.V. Craig, and A.J. Sedriks: inFundamental Aspects of Stress Corrosion Cracking, R.W. Staehle, A.J. Forty, and D. van Rooyen, eds., NACE, Houston, TX, 1969, p. 118.
R. Bakish and W.D. Robertson:Trans. AIME, 1956, vol. 206, pp. 1277–82.
R. Bakish and W.D. Robertson:Acta Metall., 1956, vol. 4, pp. 342–51.
T.B. Cassagne, W.F. Flanagan, and B.D. Lichter:Metall. Trans. A, 1988, vol. 19A, pp. 281–92.
T.B. Cassagne, W.F. Flanagan, and B.D. Lichter:Metall. Trans. A, 1986, vol. 17A, pp. 703–10.
B.D. Lichter, T.B. Cassagne, W.F. Flanagan, and E.N. Pugh:J. Microstruct. Sci., 1985, vol. 13, pp. 361–78.
G.S. Duffo and J.R. Galvele:Corros. Sci., 1988, vol. 28, pp. 207–10.
A.J. Forty and P. Durkin:Phil. Mag. A, 1980, vol. 42, pp. 295–318.
K. Sieradzki, R.R. Corderman, K. Shukla, and R.C. Newman:Phil. Mag. A, 1989, vol. 59, p. 713.
H.W. Pickering and P.R. Swann:Corrosion, 1963, vol. 19, pp. 373t-89t.
K. Sieradzki, J.S. Kim, A.T. Cole, and R.C. Newman:J. Electrochem. Soc., 1987, vol. 134, pp. 1635–39.
R.G. Kelly and R.C. Newman: UMIST, Manchester, United Kingdom, unpublished research, 1989.
J.R. Rice and M.A. Johnson: inInelastic Behavior of Solids, M.F. Kanninen, W.F. Adler, A.R. Rosenfield, and R.J. Jaffee, eds., McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 1970, p. 641.
G.E. Rhead:Surf. Sci., 1969, vol. 15, pp. 353–57.
G.E. Rhead:Surf. Sci., 1970, vol. 22, pp. 223–28.
A.J. Young, R.G. Kelly, and R.C. Newman:1st Int. Symp. on Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, Bombannes, France, May 1989.
H.W. Pickering:J. Electrochem. Soc., 1968, vol. 115, pp. 690–94.
C. Wagner:J. Electrochem. Soc., 1950, vol. 97, p. 71.
H. Gerischer and R.P. Tischer:Z. Electrochem., 1954, vol. 58, p. 819.
W. Jaenicke and B. Schilling:Z. Electrochem., 1962, vol. 66, p. 563.
R. Li: Ph.D. Dissertation, Queens College, City University of New York, Queens, NY, 1989.
R.C. Newman, R.R. Corderman, and K. Sieradzki:Br. Corros. J., 1989, vol. 24, pp. 143–48.
B.E. Wilde:Corrosion, 1981, vol. 37, pp. 131–41.
A. Brown, J.T. Harrison, and R. Wilkins: inStress Corrosion Cracking and Hydrogen Embrittlement of Iron Base Alloys, NACE, Houston, TX, 1973, pp. 686–95.
J. Congleton, T. Shoji, and R.N. Parkins:Corros. Sci., 1985, vol. 25, pp. 633–50.
R.C. Newman, W. Zheng, C.R. Tilley, and R.P.M. Procter: Paper 568,Corrosion ’89, NACE, Houston, TX, 1989.
I.M. Hannah, R.P.M. Procter, and R.C. Newman: inHydrogen Effects on Material Behavior, N.R. Moody and A.W. Thompson, eds., TMS-AIME, Warrendale, PA, 1990, pp. 965–73.
R.C. Newman and K. Sieradzki: inChemistry and Physics of Fracture, R.M. Latanision and R.H. Jones, eds., Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordecht, The Netherlands, 1987, pp. 597–611.
E. Meletis and R.F. Hochman:Corros. Sci., 1984, vol. 26, pp. 63–90.
K. Sieradzki, R.L. Sabatini, and R.C. Newman:Metall. Trans. A, 1984, vol. 15A, p. 1941–46.
U. Bertocci, E.N. Pugh, and R.E. Ricker: inEnvironment Induced Cracking of Metals, R.P. Gangloff and M.B. Ives, eds., NACE, Houston, TX, 1990, pp. 273–85.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kelly, R.G., Frost, A.J., Shahrabi, T. et al. Brittle fracture of an Au/Ag alloy induced by a surface film. Metall Trans A 22, 531–541 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02656821
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02656821