Liquid metal embrittlement in the absence of liquid metal phase: in studies of surface damageability and in hard materials machining

The liquid metal embrittlement (LME) effect has been studied by a new appro ach, in the absence of the liquid metal phase. A melt was replaced by the i ons of selected surface-active metals induced by electrochemical reduction on treated surface. New methods were elaborated based on this idea. Electro chemical microscratching method has been developed to study the stability a nd damageability of solid metal surfaces. Electro-chemo-mechanical treatmen t (ECMT) tests were performed to search for new ways in practical applicati ons of the LME effect in optimizing processes of mechanical machining, fric tion (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.