Abstract
Low-alloy steels can become embrittled and fail by grain-boundary fracture upon tempering or slow cooling through a critical temperature range of 350°–550°C. The embrittlement is due to segregation of impurities (Sb, Sn, P, As) to the boundaries. Different aspects of the phenomenon are discussed in the light of the theories worked out during the past thirty years, from McLean's equilibrium theory to the double equilibrium segregation theory presented recently by Guttmann. The latter takes into account the interaction between impurities and alloy elements. The new techniques of surface analysis, Auger electron spectroscopy, ESCA, and ion back scattering spectroscopy, which have made it possible to elucidate by quantitative measurements the segregation processes responsible for temper embrittlement, are described.
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