Abstract
Alloy 260 brass specimens under stress were exposed at room temperature to 15 N aqueous ammonia solution with 8 g/1 of cupric copper predissolved. This environment causes tarnishing of the brass surface and intergranular stress corrosion cracking. Scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, and Auger electron spectroscopy were employed to study fractography, corrosion product composition and distribution within the stress corrosion crack, and fracture surface chemistry characteristic of stress corrosion cracking in this system. A thin oxidized film was detected by Auger spectroscopy at the leading edge of the propagating crack. With continued exposure to the corrosive environment, deposits form on the fracture surface, then coalesce to form a continuous tarnish film that is depleted of zinc. No bulk depletion of zinc was detected in the alloy at the stress corrosion crack leading edge. No evidence of noncrystallographic crack arrest marks was found on the intergranular fracture surface.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
H. W. Pickering and P. R. Swann:Corrosion, 1963, vol. 19, p. 373t.
T. P. Hoar and C. J. L. Booker:Corr. Sci, 1965, vol. 6, p. 821.
A. J. Forty and P. Humble: inEnvironment-Sensitive Mechanical Behavior, A. R. C. Westwood and N. S. Stoloff, eds., p. 403, Gordon and Breach, New York, 1966.
H. E. Johnson and J. Leja:Corrosion, 1966, vol. 22, p. 178.
K. H. Jenkins and R. B. Durham:J. Electrochem. Soc, 1970, vol. 117, p. 768.
E. N. Pugh: inThe Theory of Stress Corrosion Cracking in Alloys, J. C. Scully, ed., p. 418, NATO, Brussels, 1971.
J. A. S. Green, H. D. Mengelberg, and H. T. Yolken:J. Electrochem. Soc, 1970, vol. 117, p. 433.
E. F. I. Roberts, C. J. L. Booker, P. Osborne, and M. Salim:Corr. Sci., 1974, vol. 14, p. 307.
Fundamental Aspects of Stress Corrosion Cracking, R. W. Staehle, A. J. Forty, and D. Van Rooyen, eds., NACE, Houston, 1969.
A. J. Forty and P. Humble:Phil. Mag., 1963, vol. 8, p. 247.
A. J. McEvily, Jr., and A. P. Bond:J. Electrochem. Soc, 1965, vol. 112, p. 131.
D. Tromans, N. A. Dowds, and J. Leja: inFundamental Aspects of Stress Corrosion Cracking, R. W. Staehle, A. J. Forty, and D. VanRooyen, eds., p. 154, NACE, Houston, 1969.
D. J. Lees:Con. Sci., 1972, vol. 12, p. 811.
D. Tromans and J. Nutting: inFracture of Solids, J. J. Gilman and D. C. Drucker, eds., p. 637, Interscience, New York, 1963.
H. Leidheiser and R. Kissinger:Conosion, 1972, vol. 28, p. 218.
S. S. Birley and D. Tromans:Conosion, 1971, vol. 27, p. 297.
Stress Conosion Testing, ASTM Special Technical Publication No. 425, p. 12, 1967.
D. F. Stein, R. E. Weber, and P. W. Palmberg:J. Metals, 1971, vol. 23, no. 2, p.39.
W. C. Johnson, D. F. Stein, and A. Joshi:Can. J. Spectrosc, 1972, vol. 17, p. 88.
P. W. Palmberg, G. E. Riach, R. E. Weber, and N. C. MacDonald:Handbook of Auger Electron Spectroscopy, Physical Electronics Industries, Inc., Edina, Minnesota, 1972.
J. M. Popplewell:Con. Sci., 1973, vol. 13, p. 593.
H. W. Pickering and C. Wagner:J. Electrochem. Soc, 1967, vol. 114, p. 698.
A. J. Forty: inFundamental Aspects of Stress Corrosion Cracking, R. W. Staehle, A. J. Forty, and D. VanRooyen, eds., p. 66, NACE, Houston, 1969.
D. H. Thompson and A. W. Tracey:Trans. AIME, 1949, vol. 185, p. 100.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pinchback, T.R., Clough, S.P. & Heldt, L.A. Stress corrosion cracking of alpha brass in a tarnishing ammoniacal environment: Fractography and chemical analysis. Metall Trans A 6, 1479 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02641959
Received:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02641959