A phase field method for modeling anodic dissolution induced stress corrosion crack propagation

Highlights: • New phase field model for stress corrosion cracking. • Effects of both electrochemical and mechanical processes are considered. • Efficient finite element implementation. • Numerical results are compared to experimental data obtained by in situ microtomography. - Abstract: The phase field method is a powerful tool for studying microstructural evolution in various domains of material sciences, including phase change, initiation and propagation of fracture. In this work, a new formulation is developed based on the phase field method for modeling stress corrosion cracking (SCC) induced by anodic dissolution. This method was applied for modeling SCC of an aluminum alloy (2xxx series) in a saline medium (NaCl), which allows considering the effects of both electrochemical and mechanical processes. The classical phase transition model for material dissolution is coupled with the mechanical problem in a robust manner, providing an efficient tool for studying the competition between electrochemical and mechanical contributions to fracture. A numerical implementation based on finite elements is elaborated. The numerical results are compared to experimental data obtained by in situ microtomography.