Stress-corrosion mechanisms in silicate glasses

TL;DR

This review examines the complex mechanisms of subcritical crack propagation in silicate glasses, focusing on corrosion, environmental effects, and the roles of plasticity and composition over various scales.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of the current understanding and debates on crack propagation mechanisms in silicate glasses, highlighting areas of uncertainty and future research directions.

Findings

Corrosion and leaching significantly influence crack growth in glass.

Environmental conditions at the crack tip affect propagation mechanisms.

The role of plasticity and composition varies across different scales.

Abstract

The present review is intended to revisit the advances and debates in the comprehension of the mechanisms of subcritical crack propagation in silicate glasses almost a century after its initial developments. Glass has inspired the initial insights of Griffith into the origin of brittleness and the ensuing development of modern fracture mechanics. Yet, through the decades the real nature of the fundamental mechanisms of crack propagation in glass has escaped a clear comprehension which could gather general agreement on subtle problems such as the role of plasticity, the role of the glass composition, the environmental condition at the crack tip and its relation to the complex mechanisms of corrosion and leaching. The different processes are analysed here with a special focus on their relevant space and time scales in order to question their domain of action and their contribution in both the kinetic laws and the energetic aspects.