Which of these materials are susceptible to brittle fracture?
Which of these materials are susceptible to brittle fracture?
All of the mentioned materials—carbon steels, low alloy steels, and 400 Series stainless steels—are susceptible to brittle fracture under certain conditions. Carbon steels and low alloy steels are particularly prone to brittle fracture, especially at lower temperatures or with certain alloy compositions. The 400 Series stainless steels, while typically more resistant to brittle fracture than carbon steels, can also be affected, especially if they undergo certain types of embrittlement processes. Therefore, the correct choice encompasses all these materials.
Carbon steels and low-alloy steels are of prime concern, particularly older steels. 400 series SS are also susceptible even if not embrittled. In addition, materials susceptible to an embrittling mechanism such as sigma phase embrittlement (3.56), 885 °F (475 °C) embrittlement (3.1), temper embrittlement (3.63), strain-aging embrittlement (3.60), or titanium hydriding (3.66) pose a risk for brittle fracture if they are sufficiently embrittled.