EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF LIQUID METAL EMBRITTLEMENT

The report describes the investigation of the premature failure of a solid metal wetted with a liquid metal and stressed below or slightly above its normal yield point. Conclusions are: (l) Propensity to embrittlement by a liquid metal can be heightened by increasing the density of stress concentration regions in the host metal; (2) Grain boundaries probably play a secondary role in liquid metal embrittlement; (3) Stacking faults and dislocation networks render the material more susceptible to embrittlement; and (4) Liquid metal atoms may affect the lattice parameters of the host metal.