A Comparison of Hydrogen and Mercury Embrittlement in Monel at Room Temperature

Slow strain rate tensile tests were performed on annealed and cold drawn Monel 400 and Monel R405 at room temperature in air, mercury, and electrolyte hydrogen. Hydrogen and mercury caused embrittlement with the fractures having the same specific features. Crack initiation was largely intergranular but an increasing proportion of transgranular cracking occurred subsequently, especially in the presence of hydrogen and for Monel R405. It is believed that the decreased cohesive strength and enhanced shear models of embrittlement apply to the intergranular and transgranular crack modes respectively.