Fracture Mechanics and Corrosion Fatigue

The role of linear fracture mechanics is considered in relation to the importance of integrating chemistry, mechanics, and materials science in the development of a quantitative mechanistic understanding of corrosion fatigue. The value of and need for an integrated multidisciplinary approach are illustrated by results of studies of environmentally assisted fatigue crack growth in gaseous and aqueous environments. Corrosion fatigue of steels in aqueous environments is considered to provide new perspectives for this integrated approach. The need for treating cyclic load frequency as an important variable and for electrochemical measurements at short times (<10 s) is discussed.