Usage Induced Changes to Materials in Service

The need to understand materials does not end once materials have been selected and put into service. This chapter concerns phenomena that can occur in service which are detrimental to material properties and performance and which can limit their useful life. Relevant analytical tools which help to give insight into if and how materials degradation will progress and what factors impact this are highlighted: Gibbs free energy, the electrochemical series and Nernst equation for corrosion; Paris law fatigue crack growth; the creep rate equation and the Larson-Miller equation for creep and the Archard equation for wear. Understanding the relevant degradation mechanisms for any given application supports better, more sustainable, material selection and usage.