Summer school “Environmental Assisted Cracking”

Brief overview
The “Environmental Assisted Cracking” summer school is organized in its first edition
by the Italian Association for Metallurgy (AIM) in collaboration with the University of
Bergamo, the University of Messina and the University of Manchester. The school will
take place in Milazzo, a charming coastal town in north of Sicily, which offers stunning sea
views, historic sites, and a vibrant local culture.
This international summer school offers a comprehensive understanding to
environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) and related degradation phenomena. Through
lectures by leading Italian and international experts, participants will explore fundamental
mechanisms, characterization methods, and the behavior of traditional and advanced
materials under combined mechanical and environmental stresses. The residential
program is designed for doctoral students and academic or industry researchers and it
includes opportunities for discussion and networking.

Description of the School
The term environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) refers to a group of mechanisms in
which the combined action of a susceptible material, applied mechanical stress, and a
specific environment leads to cracking, even when the stresses are below the material’s
typical fracture strength.
EAC typically includes phenomena such as stress corrosion cracking, hydrogen
embrittlement, and corrosion fatigue. However, this summer school will also address
other forms of mechanically induced damage – such as fretting and wear – as well as
their combined effects, for example fretting-corrosion–fatigue.
EAC effects have been observed across a wide range of applications, including civil and
industrial infrastructure, oil and gas, chemical processing, nuclear power, pipelines,
aerospace, and biomedical components. Each of these fields is characterized by distinct
environmental and stress conditions and involves different susceptible materials. This
international summer school aims to provide doctoral students in corrosion science and
engineering with an in-depth overview of the various forms of EAC, related investigation
methods, the behavior of both traditional and innovative materials, and representative
modeling approaches. The school is also open to researchers from industry who wish to
deepen their understanding of these corrosion phenomena.
In the beautiful setting of Milazzo in Sicily, the residential program alternates lectures
by Italian and international experts—both from academia and from research institutes
and industry—with social events designed to encourage interaction and foster future
collaboration among young researchers.

Course Directors
Marina Cabrini (University of Bergamo) 
Edoardo Proverbio (University of Messina) 
Fabio Scenini (University of Manchester) 

Scientific Committee (to be completed) 
Tiziano Bellezze (Marche Polytechnic University)
Fabio Bolzoni (Polytechnic of Milan)
Andrea Brenna (Polytechnic of Milan) 
Dirk Engelberg (University of Manchester)
Lorenzo Fedrizzi (University of Udine)
Sergio Lorenzi (University of Bergamo) 

For information and registration 
training@aimnet.it | +39 02 76021132