Static Fatigue of Glass. I

Water vapor corrosion of a simple soda-lime glass has been studied in regard to its effect on static fatigue of the same glass. A mechanism of dissolution has been proposed in which alkali ion self-diffusion controls the initial steps of water corrosion and leads to breakdown of the glass network. Since experiments show that an expansion of a glass network enhances corrosion rate, it is postulated that asymmetrical contitions of expansion around a surface flaw, brought about by applied stress, could lead to growth of the flaw in a preferential direction to bring about delayed failure.