Abstract
Using an Sb doped Ni-Cr steel as a model material, the mechanism of intergranular brittle fracture was studied by means of tests on smooth, notched, and precracked specimens, in conjunction with statistically analyzed, selected area Auger electron spectroscopy.The critical local stress for fracture of a grain boundary was determined as a function of the Sb concentration on that boundary. The Sb effect can be understood in terms of its influence on cohesive energy, which controls the plastic work associated with brittle fracture. The results indicate that the optimum method for assessing embrittlement behavior of such a steel with minimum ambiguity is to use a notched specimen at a fixed test temperature in the appropriate temperature range for that material. The conditions which govern brittle crack nucleation in steel and the factors which influence the plastic work are discussed.
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Kameda, J., McMahon, C.J. Solute segregation and brittle fracture in an alloy steel. Metall Trans A 11, 91–101 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02700442
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02700442