A Review of Recent Advances in the Understanding of Liquid Metal Embrittlement

Significant advances in the study of liquid metal embrittlement have occurred since 2000 but there have been few reviews of the liquid metal embrittlement literature since that time. This review discusses recent advances in modeling and testing. Specific solid–liquid systems (including steel exposed to molten lead–bismuth and aluminum–gallium) are reviewed. Relationships between various studies are considered and the need for careful test protocols is emphasized. The individual effects of wetting, crack initiation, and propagation are discussed. Mechanisms of liquid metal embrittlement including interatomic and mass transport-based phenomena are analyzed.