Characteristics of elementary acts in the kinetics of metal fracture

Experimental studies of the fracture kinetics of polycrystalline metals have led to the problem of the barrier and activation volume of elementary fracture acts. A model is proposed where the field binding one atom to its environment in a metal is represented by equivalent bonds directed along three orthogonal axes. These bonds are described using the Morse potential, whose parameters are found from the values of the Young’s modulus and the linear thermal expansion coefficient for metals. The validity of the model is checked by comparing the results obtained with metal sublimation data. The values of the barrier and activation volume of elementary fracture acts are determined for 15 polycrystalline metals. The levels of local overstresses are estimated. The theoretical breaking strengths of the metals are calculated.