Season cracking is a form of

stress-corrosion cracking Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is the growth of crack formation in a corrosion, corrosive environment. It can lead to unexpected and sudden failure of normally ductile metal alloys subjected to a tensile stress, especially at elevated temper ...

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wi ...

cartridge cases originally reported from British forces in India. During the

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

season, military activity was temporarily reduced, and ammunition was stored in stables until the dry weather returned. Many brass cartridges were subsequently found to be cracked, especially where the case was crimped to the bullet. It was not until 1921 that the phenomenon was explained by Moor, Beckinsale and Mallinson:

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous ...

from horse urine, combined with the

residual stress In materials science and solid mechanics, residual stresses are stresses that remain in a solid material after the original cause of the stresses has been removed. Residual stress may be desirable or undesirable. For example, laser peening i ...

in the cold-drawn metal of the cartridges, was responsible for the cracking. Season cracking is characterised by deep brittle cracks which penetrate into affected components. If the cracks reach a critical size, the component can suddenly fracture, sometimes with disastrous results. However, if the concentration of ammonia is very high, then attack is much more severe, and attack over all exposed surfaces occurs. The problem was solved by annealing the brass cases after forming so as to relieve the residual stresses.

Ammonia

The attack takes the form of a reaction between

and

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pink ...

to form the

cuprammonium Schweizer's reagent is the metal ammine complex with the formula u(NH3)4(H2O)2OH)2. This deep-blue compound is used in purifying cellulose. It is prepared by precipitating copper(II) hydroxide from an aqueous solution of copper sulfate using so ...

ion, formula u(NH₃)₄sup>2+, a chemical complex which is water-soluble, and hence washed from the growing cracks. The problem of cracking can therefore also occur in

and any other copper alloy, such as

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids suc ...

. The tendency of copper to react with ammonia was exploited in making

rayon Rayon is a semi-synthetic fiber, made from natural sources of regenerated cellulose, such as wood and related agricultural products. It has the same molecular structure as cellulose. It is also called viscose. Many types and grades of viscose ...

, and the deep blue colour of the aqueous solution of

copper(II) oxide Copper(II) oxide or cupric oxide is an inorganic compound with the formula CuO. A black solid, it is one of the two stable oxides of copper, the other being Cu2O or copper(I) oxide (cuprous oxide). As a mineral, it is known as tenorite. It ...

in ammonia is known as

Schweizer's reagent Schweizer's reagent is the metal ammine complex with the formula u(NH3)4(H2O)2OH)2. This deep-blue compound is used in purifying cellulose. It is prepared by precipitating copper(II) hydroxide from an aqueous solution of copper sulfate using so ...

Materials

Although the problem was first found in brass, any alloy containing

will be susceptible to the problem. It includes copper itself (as used in pipe for example),

s and other alloys with a significant copper content. Like all problems with

hairline crack A stress fracture is a fatigue-induced bone fracture caused by repeated stress over time. Instead of resulting from a single severe impact, stress fractures are the result of accumulated injury from repeated submaximal loading, such as running or ...

s, detection in the early stages of attack is difficult, but the characteristic blue coloration may give a clue to attack. Microscopic inspection will often reveal the cracks, and x-ray analysis using the EDX facility on the scanning electron microscope or SEM should reveal the presence of elemental nitrogen from ammoniacal traces.

References

{{reflist Corrosion Engineering concepts Reliability engineering Safety Firearm safety

Ammonia

Materials

See also

References