ABSTRACT
Environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) is a common problem in a variety of industries. This chapter presents an overview of a highly complex subject. It focuses on aspects of environmental cracking that are relevant to a fracture mechanics specialist. The chapter separates environmental cracking mechanisms into anodic Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and cathodic Hydrogen embrittlement (HE) processes for the sake of simplicity and convenience. The term EAC is meant to be generic, as it refers to all cracking in metals that is aided by a chemical environment. The term "SCC" was used to refer to a broad range of environmental cracking mechanisms and more restrictive definition of SCC. It refers the term SCC, to crack propagation due to an anodic reaction at the crack tip. Early studies of Corrosion fatigue (CF) initiation from smooth surfaces focused on the effect of environmentally produced thin films on local slip processes that govern cyclic plastic deformation.
