CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF STRESS-CORROSION CRACKING

For some 100 years, the problem of environment-induced brittle failure of normally ductile alloys has intrigued and perplexed researchers. A variety of mechanisms have been invoked, and while many of them seem to be operative in some instances, they do not all universally apply. This exhaustive review examines the current knowledge of the many mechanisms for stress-corrosion cracking and describes the conditions in which they apply.