Effect of Corrosion Processes on Subcritical Crack Growth in Glass

Abstract

Crack‐growth studies were conducted on soda‐lime‐silica, soda borosilicate, and two binary soda‐silica glasses immersed in solutions of 1M Li+, 1M Cs+, or deionized water at different pH values. A definite effect of the Li+ and Cs+ was observed on the V‐K1 curves in all but the soda‐lime glass. A plateau in crack velocity in the range 10‐8 to 10‐10 m/s was measured on the binary soda‐silica glasses for K1<0.35 MPa.m1/2. These data are analyzed in terms of both the ion exchange and SiO2 dissolution steps of the corrosion process. A model of crack growth in corrosive conditions is proposed.