Liquid Metal-induced Embrittlement LMIE

Liquid metal-induced embrittlement (LMIE), particularly solid metal-induced failure result in accelerated brittle failure on normally ductile metals under applied or residual stresses when in contact with liquid or solid low-melting point metal. SMIE was first noted as the delayed failure of steels in solid Cd environments. 

The two micromechanism of LMIE are (i) the dissolution-condensation model (DCM) and (ii) the adsorption-induced localized slip model. In the DCM mechanism the crack is filled with melt and grows by dissolution of atoms from the crack tip where the chemical potential is increased due to applied stress.1,2 In the second model, 

The kinetics of crack growth under SMIE conditions may be given by 5 

The most important achievement of the kinetic model is its capability to describe almost all the experimental data on SMIE available so far.6-8 It means that the above equation may be used for prediction of the lifetime in industrial applications where LMPM are used, for example as protective coatings. 

The brief analysis of the microscopic models of LMIE and SMIE indicates that the dissolution-condensation model of LMIE may be considered as realistic and provides a solid background for its further development. The micromechanism of SMIE seems to be reliable and may be used for prediction of the lifetime. 

---