Workshop Summary: Intergranular Embrittlement

Abstract

The workshop was started by an introductory lecture by Losch on intergranular fracture. He reviewed recent experimental and theoretical work performed during the last five years, particularly focussing on two aspects of intergranular brittle fracture: One is the effect of grain boundary segregation of solutes or impurities in metals and alloys. The other is the effect of grain boundary structure and orientation on fracture modes. Also theoretical models of atomistic mechanism of fracture were discussed on the basis of quantum mechanic calculations which show chemical bond modification due to impurity segregation, and of pair potential calculations more related to structural considerations at the grain boundaries.