ABSTRACT
Several testable models for stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) of metals are discussed in terms of the main experimental variables: stress, metallurgy, and environment. Slipdissolution, Žlm-induced cleavage, and hydrogen embrittlement models are all shown to be consistent with experimental data in particular systems. Other models that cite effects of corrosion (without a Žlm) or adsorption on crack tip deformation, leading to microcleavage or plastic microfracture, are less easy to test. No model can be “universal” in view of the demonstrable multiplicity of mechanisms. In many cases the atomistic mechanism is unknown, yet cracking can be controlled or predicted via the localized corrosion process that precedes SCC.
