The effects of stress upon the diffusion of H2O into silica glass were studied at various temperatures by treating the glass hydrothermally under an applied stress. The surface H concentrations were determined by using nuclear reaction analysis, and the hydroxyl concentration profiles were analyzed by using a Fourier transform infra-red spectrophotometer. It was found that the effects of stress upon H2O diffusion into silica glass depended strongly upon the temperature. The concentration of H2O in the glass surface was higher in glass under compression than in glass under tension, at low temperatures (250C), while the opposite behavior was observed at high temperatures (650C). On the other hand, the effective H2O diffusion coefficient was higher under tension than under compression at low temperatures, while the opposite behavior was observed at high temperatures. The low-temperature behavior was attributed to the effect of stress upon the kinetics of H2O uptake, while the high-temperature behavior was attributed to the effect of an applied stress upon the glass-H2O reaction equilibrium.

A.Agarwal, M.Tomozawa, W.A.Lanford: Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, 1994, 167[1-2], 139-48