抄録
Most damage issues in machines and structures are caused by environmentally induced material degradation in an operating environment, including stress corrosion (SC) cracking. In order to clarify the fracture and damage mechanisms of these environmentally induced material degradation, serial high-magnification obsearvation of damage initiation and growth stages is necessary. In this investigation, the authors demonstrate that atomic force microscopy (AFM) is very much capable of performing in-situ nanoscopic visualization of growth processes of SC cracking in an aqueous solution and in a laboratory air. The nanoscopic growth mechanisms of SC crack growth of a high-strength aluminum alloy and an austenitic stainless steel are discussed based upon nanoscopic in-situ visualization by AFM and scanning tunneling microscope (STM).
