Evaluating dealloying as a precursor to stress corrosion cracking: a micro-mechanical testing approach

Abstract Dealloying (selective dissolution) results in the formation of a (nano)porous film which has been proposed to act as a precursor to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) by a cleavage mechanism. The geometry of this film (e.g., ligament size and thickness) influences its ability to act as a precu...

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Main Authors: Hooman Gholamzadeh, Kevin Daub, Mark R. Daymond, Suraj Y. Persaud
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-06-01
Series:npj Materials Degradation
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41529-025-00621-7
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author Hooman Gholamzadeh
Kevin Daub
Mark R. Daymond
Suraj Y. Persaud
author_facet Hooman Gholamzadeh
Kevin Daub
Mark R. Daymond
Suraj Y. Persaud
author_sort Hooman Gholamzadeh
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Dealloying (selective dissolution) results in the formation of a (nano)porous film which has been proposed to act as a precursor to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) by a cleavage mechanism. The geometry of this film (e.g., ligament size and thickness) influences its ability to act as a precursor. This study investigates the micro-scale mechanical response of a dealloyed layer formed on Alloy 800 when exposed to boiling 50 wt% NaOH solution. Post-exposure in-SEM tensile and micro-cantilever bending tests were conducted on porous films of different geometries, formed after 2, 18 and 24 h of exposure. Results indicate that a porous dealloyed layer is more brittle compared to the base material and SCC can be induced, even with the corrosive environment removed. Increasing the time of exposure coarsened ligaments resulting in increased ductility of the porous film. In contrast, increasing the strain rate resulted in the porous film shifting towards brittle failure.
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spelling doaj-art-59b6c366daaa40419c65283c4edc1b712025-08-20T03:47:17ZengNature Portfolionpj Materials Degradation2397-21062025-06-019111210.1038/s41529-025-00621-7Evaluating dealloying as a precursor to stress corrosion cracking: a micro-mechanical testing approachHooman Gholamzadeh0Kevin Daub1Mark R. Daymond2Suraj Y. Persaud3Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Smith Engineering, Queen’s UniversityDepartment of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Smith Engineering, Queen’s UniversityDepartment of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Smith Engineering, Queen’s UniversityDepartment of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Smith Engineering, Queen’s UniversityAbstract Dealloying (selective dissolution) results in the formation of a (nano)porous film which has been proposed to act as a precursor to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) by a cleavage mechanism. The geometry of this film (e.g., ligament size and thickness) influences its ability to act as a precursor. This study investigates the micro-scale mechanical response of a dealloyed layer formed on Alloy 800 when exposed to boiling 50 wt% NaOH solution. Post-exposure in-SEM tensile and micro-cantilever bending tests were conducted on porous films of different geometries, formed after 2, 18 and 24 h of exposure. Results indicate that a porous dealloyed layer is more brittle compared to the base material and SCC can be induced, even with the corrosive environment removed. Increasing the time of exposure coarsened ligaments resulting in increased ductility of the porous film. In contrast, increasing the strain rate resulted in the porous film shifting towards brittle failure.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41529-025-00621-7
spellingShingle Hooman Gholamzadeh
Kevin Daub
Mark R. Daymond
Suraj Y. Persaud
Evaluating dealloying as a precursor to stress corrosion cracking: a micro-mechanical testing approach
npj Materials Degradation
title Evaluating dealloying as a precursor to stress corrosion cracking: a micro-mechanical testing approach
title_full Evaluating dealloying as a precursor to stress corrosion cracking: a micro-mechanical testing approach
title_fullStr Evaluating dealloying as a precursor to stress corrosion cracking: a micro-mechanical testing approach
title_full_unstemmed Evaluating dealloying as a precursor to stress corrosion cracking: a micro-mechanical testing approach
title_short Evaluating dealloying as a precursor to stress corrosion cracking: a micro-mechanical testing approach
title_sort evaluating dealloying as a precursor to stress corrosion cracking a micro mechanical testing approach
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41529-025-00621-7
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