A MODEL FOR DYNAMIC EMBRITTLEMENT

A model is presented to calculate the rate of crack advance in the stepwise decohesion process which can result from the stress-induced penetration of a surface-adsorbed element into a solid, usually along grain boundaries. We call this process dynamic embrittlement. The model employs a diffusion equation containing both the usual random-mixing term and a term reflecting the work done by a tensile stress when surface atoms diffuse inward. Given the diffusion constant of the surface species and the stress profile at the crack tip, the concentration build-up ahead of the crack as a function of time can be calculated. This can be combined with an empirical relationship between the interfacial concentration of the surface species and the stress to cause decohesion to give the crack-growth rate. This model is applied to the case of sulfur-induced cracking of an alloy steel in the process known as stress-relief cracking.