High temperature stress relief cavitation of an Al-bearing α-brass

High temperature stress relief intergranular cavitation and subsequent room temperature embrittlement of an aluminium-bearingα-brass has been studied metallographically. The behaviour of a cast susceptible to cavitation has been compared to one which does not exhibit intergranular cavitation during stress relief, and which is subsequently more ductile at room temperature. A number of micro-analytical techniques (SIMS and EDX) failed to reveal any difference in the grain boundary chemistry between a cast susceptible to intergranular cavitation and one which was not, but it is suspected that the combined action of dissolved gases (e.g. hydrogen) and trace element impurities plays a major role in cavitation. The cavities formed during stress relief were often polyhedral in shape and it is considered that this occurs by the diffusion of matter around the cavity surface to attain a lower energy surface configuration. Second phase particles were found to play only a minor role in the nucleation of cavities. Room temperature intergranular fracture surfaces of material, in which cavities had formed during stress relief, were interpreted in terms of high temperature cavity formation and coalescence combined with low temperature plastic void growth and interlinkage.