Stress corrosion cracking of pure metals. Effect of the exchange current density

Based on stress corrosion cracking (SCC) studies on brass, and on Ag-Cd alloys (a model alloy used to reproduce the behavior of brass), it was found that both pure copper and pure silver are susceptible to SCC in 1M copper (II) nitrate and in 1 M silver nitrate aqueous solutions, at the equilibrium potential for the reactions: Cu2+ 2e- ↔ Cu and Ag-+ e ↔ Ag, respectively. The results were analysed under the light of recent developments in surface science. It was concluded that the same SCC mechanism that operates in brass and in Ag-Cd alloys should be operating during SCC of pure copper and pure silver, under equivalent experimental conditions (au)