Progression markings, striations, and crack-arrest markings on fracture surfaces

Crack-front markings, with spacings ranging from the millimetre to the nanometre scale, are observed on fracture surfaces produced by a variety of fracture modes, such as fatigue, corrosion-fatigue, hydrogen embrittlement, stress-corrosion cracking, and liquid-metal embrittlement. The characteristics of these markings for metallic materials are described and illustrated, and the processes involved in their formation are discussed.