Institute of Metals Division - The Effect of Surface-Active Agents on the Mechanical Behavior of Metals, Part II - Copper, Gold, Zinc and Polycrystalline Aluminum

A study was made of the effect of surface-active agents an copper, gold, and zinc single crystals as well as polycrystalline aluminum. The study on coppw showed that the maximum effect of the surface -active agent occurred at the same concentration of the solution as that at which the rate of solution of the copper soap was the greatest. Surface -active agents did not affect the creep behavior of gold or freshly polished zinc specimens. The creel-, rate of zinc specimens in a solution containing a surface-active agent zoas always lower than that of freshly polished specimens. In previous papers1'2 it was reported that the surface played an important role in the plastic deformation of metals. By removing the surface layers of a crystal of aluminum by electrolytic polishing dur- ing tensile deformation, it was found that the slopes of Stages I, 11, and In were decreased and the extent of Stages I and I1 were increased when the rate of metal removal was increased. The results of the investigation of surface-active agents showed that changes in the slopes and extents of Stages I and II occurred when single crystals of aluminum were deformed in tension in a bath containing solutions of paraffin oil and stearic acid. The amount of change was a function of the concentration of stearic acid and the maximum effect occurred at a concentration of 0.002 mole per liter. These results were interpreted2 in terms of the rate of solution of metal soaps which form as a result of the chemical reaction between the surface-active agent and the metal. According to this interpretation, the "weakening" effect is controlled by the rate of solution of the soaps which depends upon the concentration of surface-active agents. At low concentrations, the number of metal soap molecules formed is low; at high concentrations, the rate of solubility is low, because of the high degree of saturation.