Fracture in Liquid Metal Environments

Abstract

Many ductile metals fracture in a brittle manner when tested in the presence of a thin surface coating of certain liquid metals. The severity of embrittlement depends upon the metallurgical, mechanical, and physical factors and also on the chemical nature of the liquid and the solute dissolved in the liquid metals. Liquid metal embrittlement is considered a special case of brittle fracture and it is generally accepted that embrittlement is caused by the liquid metal Adsorption Induced Reductions in the Cohesion of atomic bonds at the crack tip. This report describes the phenomena of fracture in liquid metal environments and discusses the effects of variables related to the solid, the liquid, the liquid metal solutions, and to the test conditions on the severity of embrittlement. It also discusses various mechanisms of embrittlement. Also, a summary with suggestions for future work is presented.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1985
Accession Number
ADA155629

Entities

People

  • M. H. Kamdar

Organizations

  • United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Chemistry
  • Crack Propagation
  • Cracks
  • Crystal Structure
  • Crystals
  • Embrittlement
  • Failure Mode And Effect Analysis
  • Grain Boundaries
  • Grain Size
  • Liquid Metals
  • Materials
  • Mechanical Properties
  • Mechanics
  • Metallic Compounds
  • Military Research
  • Solid Solutions
  • Strain Rate

Readers

  • Materials Science and Engineering.
  • Structural Health Monitoring of Composite Structures.