Effect of Several Factors on Embrittlement of Solid Metals in Contact with Liquid Metals

Embrittlement of steel in contact with liquid phase-III

Abstract

Embrittlement of mild steel in contact with molten copper or copper-tin alloy or zinc-tin alloy, and embrittlement of tin or lead in contact with mercury were examined.
Several factors affecting embrittlement became clear as follows. In general, embrittlementof this kind, namely fracturing by penetration of liquid occured severely at a comparativelylow working speed, but hardly at an impact working speed.
Embrittlement of cold-rolled steel under the recrystalization temperature becomes lessliable to occur as rolling reduction increased, and the cracks run along strained ferrite-grainboundaries.Fine-grained lead was not embrittled by mercury, while coarse-grained lead was embrittledby mercury. The coarse-grained lead, however, did not show any brittleness in air.
Fracturing by penetration of liquid occurred only by the stress at a difinite value, anddid not occur by a lower stress. This was shown by the constant tensile load tests of tinin mercury.