Novel images of the evolution of stress corrosion cracks from corrosion pits

SCC in turbine disc steels exposed to simulated steam-condensate tends to nucleate preferentially from corrosion pit precursors. The evolution of these cracks is not straightforward and not well understood. In this work, unique three-dimensional X-ray microtomographic images have confirmed that cracks develop predominantly at the shoulder of the pit, near the pit/surface interface, for specimens stressed to 50–90% σ_0.2. In support of this observation, FEA of model pits indicate that strain is a maximum on the pit wall just below the pit mouth. Implications of these observations for the pit-to-crack transition and predictive-modelling of crack nucleation and growth are discussed.     

Initiation and repassivation of pitting corrosion of carbon steel in carbonated concrete pore solution

The initiation, propagation, repassivation of metastable pits of Q345 carbon steel in Cl⁻ containing concrete pore solution were studied by electrochemical noise. The initiation rate of metastable pits increases exponentially up to a constant value with time. After stable pit occurs, the nucleation of metastable pits is mainly induced by the rust layer, and mainly takes place in the outskirt of the rust layer. Stable pits incline to expand horizontally to produce a shallow pit. In addition, high concentration of nitrite can inhibit the nucleation of metastable pits around the rust cover and accelerate the repassivation of stable pits.     

Probabilistic modelling of fatigue crack initiation from pits and pit clusters in aluminium alloys

Abstract

A numerical model of crack initiation under high cycle fatigue loading from pits is investigated in this paper. A probability based pit growth model, which takes into account the influence of mechanical cyclic load and particle clusters present in alloys, is used for investigations. Critical pit sizes, calculated using linear elastic fracture mechanics principles, are used to determine the probability of crack initiation for different conditions. The results are critically compared to extract an insight on the parameters that control the pit growth behaviour and thereby the fatigue crack initiation.     

Pitting corrosion behaviour of AZ31 magnesium in tropical marine atmosphere

Corrosion behaviour of AZ31 magnesium during the initial six exposure periods in a tropical marine atmosphere is investigated. The results reveal that corrosion process of magnesium is dominated by pitting corrosion which consists of initiation of new pits, propagation of small scale pits and coalescence of neighbouring pits. There exists a critical depth above which the pits cease to grow down, resulting in the fluctuation of the mean pit depth. Different exposure conditions are found to be crucial for the different pit characters. Pits on the skyward surface are in deep-hole shape, while the groundward surface is covered with shallow dish pits.     

Effect of corrosive environment on the fatigue crack initiation and propagation behavior of Al 5454-H32

Fatigue behavior of aluminum alloy 5454- H32 was studied under laboratory air and 3 % NaCl solution environment using smooth cylindrical and notched plate specimens. Presence of 3 % NaCl environment during fatigue loading drastically reduced alloy fatigue life. The deleterious effect was pronounced in both types of specimens in the long- life regions, where the fatigue lives were lowered by as much as a factor of 10. However, the sharply notched specimens showed only a modest reduction in fatigue life in corrosive environment. The severe influence of the corrosive environment in the long- life (low- stress) regime cannot be explained merely by the early initiation of the fatigue crack from surface pits; the environmental contribution in the early crack growth regime must also be considered an important factor. Fracture surface studies revealed extensive pitting and some secondary cracking in the crack initiation region. It was shown that lowered fatigue life in Al 5454- H32 occurs by early initiation of fatigue cracks from surface pits. In addition, a corrosion pitting and secondary cracking process may be operative in the small crack growth region. This could have enhanced the early crack growth rate and thus contributed to the lower fatigue life in the long- cycle region.     

Crack Initiation Life of Materials Under Combined Pitting Corrosion and Cyclic Loading

Pitting corrosion triggered damage is responsible for the degradation of many metallic materials affecting structural integrity. As pitting and crack initiation processes govern the overall life of such structures and components, particularly at nominal cyclic stresses, there is a need to develop simple models to estimate crack initiation life of materials. This paper presents a simple deterministic model that considers the effect of cyclic stressing under pitting corrosion conditions. The developed model is validated on an aluminum alloy 2024-T3, and 12% Cr stainless steel used in aircraft and steam turbines, respectively. The predicted critical pit depth values are in fair agreement with the limited experimental data available in the literature. The model indicates that at high stresses, the crack initiation can occur very rapidly even from relatively small pits. The crack initiation life predictions when compared with the available experimental data, suggest a probable stress-level dependency with regard to the form and extent of the influence of cyclic stresses on pit growth and subsequent crack formation.     

Pit to crack transition in stress corrosion cracking of a steam turbine disc steel

Long term exposure tests have been carried out on a 3 NiCrMoV steam turbine disc steel in the form of cylindrical tensile test specimens self-loaded to 90% of σ_0.2 and exposed to three environmental conditions, viz. deaerated pure water, aerated pure water, and aerated water containing 1.5 ppm of chloride ion. Pitting occurred in all environments but the density and depth of pits in the chloride-containing medium was markedly greater. No cracking was observed in deaerated pure water but cracks initiated in aerated water between 13 and 19 months and in less than 7 months in aerated 1.5 ppm Cl⁻ solution. The probability of a crack initiating from a pit of specific depth in aerated solution could be described well by a Weibull function. Profiling of pits and cracks in the disc steel tested in aerated 1.5 ppm Cl⁻ solution showed that there while there were many cracks with a depth greater than that of the corresponding pit the depth of some cracks was smaller than that of the corresponding pit, suggesting that cracks do not necessarily initiate from the bottom of the pits. The growth rate of short cracks emerging from pits appeared greater than that of long cracks in fracture mechanics specimens.     

Investigation of a single pit/defect evolution during the corrosion process

The investigation of a single pit/defect evolution due to localized corrosion that is commonly observed in a wide range of aluminum alloys is reported. Electrochemical experiments, microscopy and computations were used to predict stresses around a single pit/defect. It was observed that the pit/defect profile changing its shape from slightly conical to more hemispherical shape with increasing corrosion time. Also, stress distribution and levels vary non-linearly around a single pit/defect. The results also indicate that the evolution of these pits/defects may lead to nucleation of a crack over time, which can be predicted from these stresses.     

Stable pit formation on AA2024-T3 in a NaCl environment

Scanning vibrating electrode (SVE), particle induced X-ray emission spectroscopy (PIXE) and standard electrochemical measurements were used to study the establishment of stable pits on AA2024-T3 in neutral sodium chloride solution (0.1 M NaCl). Pits were allowed to develop until hydrogen evolution was observed. Typical current at the mouth of the pits were in the vicinity of 1 mA. PIXE maps revealed the intermetallic (IM) particle distributions in the surface as well as significant chloride buildup around the pits. A significant fraction of the small selection of pits examined here appeared to have an S-phase particle (or remnant) within 20 μm of a AlCuFeMn type IM particle suggesting a coupling between the two. The electrochemistry of the coupling between different IM particle types was further investigated using potentiodynamic scans in 0.1 M aqueous NaCl solution of macroscopic electrodes made according to the IM particle compositions. Current densities at the open circuit potential of AA2024-T3 were largest, typically (0.2 up to 1 mA/cm²) for phases that were anodic with respect to AA2024-T3. Coupling of the IM particles was examined by comparing the degree of clustering around chloride attack sites to the average particle density for each map. There were significantly higher number of IM particles surrounding pit sites than the average IM particle densities indicating that local clustering played an important role in pit initiation.     

The study of stress application and corrosion cracking on Ni-16 Cr-9 Fe (Alloy 600) C-ring samples by polychromatic X-ray microdiffraction

Microscopic strains associated with stress corrosion cracks have been investigated in stressed C-rings of Ni-16 Cr-9 Fe (Alloy 600) boiler tubing. Polychromatic X-ray microdiffraction was used to measure deviatoric strain tensors and the distribution of dislocations near cracks that had been propagated in electrochemically accelerated corrosion tests. An associated investigation of the C-ring-induced strains prior to corrosion showed significant tensile strain in the stress axis direction by the torsional closure of the alloy tube section in the C-ring test. Significant grain lattice rotation and pronounced plastic strain at some grain boundaries were noted. Stress-corrosion-cracking-generated intergranular cracks were produced in two Alloy 600 specimens after 6 h and 18 h tests. The diffraction patterns and resultant strain tensors were mapped around the cracked area to a 1 μm spatial resolution. The strain tensor transverse to the crack growth direction showed tensile strain at the intergranular region just ahead of the crack tip for both specimens. Both cracks were found to follow grain boundary pathways that had the lowest angle of misorientation. Dislocation distributions within each grain were qualitatively obtained from the shapes of the diffraction spots and the effect of “hard” and “soft” grains on the crack pathway was explored for both 6 h and 18 h specimens. The Schmid factor of one of the grains adjacent to the crack at the 6 h and 18 h initiation sites was found to be the lowest, compared to Schmid factors calculated for surface grains away from the initiation site, and also along the crack path into the bulk.     

Impact of surface condition on sulphide stress corrosion cracking of 316L stainless steel

The effect of surface condition on crack initiation in 316L stainless steel during laboratory testing in sour (H₂S) environments for oil and gas applications has been investigated using the four-point bend test method. The main focus was on the effect of the degree of surface damage introduced during specimen machining and the influence of heat tinting to simulate the welding process. Detailed mapping of the surface of the four-point bend specimens before and after the tests revealed a greater tendency for pits to form at pre-existing mechanical defects than at inclusions. Perhaps surprisingly, pitting was initiated more readily on the finer ground surface. The effect of heat tinting was (i) to increase the pit density and (ii) to facilitate cracking, shifting the material from the pass to the failure domain. In all cases cracks initiated at pitting sites. A clear time dependence was observed in both the evolution of pitting and the transition from pit to crack during the four-point bend test, implying that the standard 30 day test duration may not always be sufficiently conservative. Characterisation of pitting and cracking in the specimens using electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD) and focused ion beam (FIB) milling revealed evidence of de-alloying local to the crack. The origin of the cracks could not be identified precisely but initiation in the thinned region of the metal caused by undercutting or intense localised dissolution along slip bands could both be important. Comparison of residual stress measurement using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and hole-drilling techniques demonstrated that near-surface residual stress measurement in austenitic stainless steels using XRD should be treated with caution due to the presence of a heavily deformed nanocrystalline layer on the surface arising from the machining process.     

The Effects of Hot Corrosion Pits on the Fatigue Resistance of a Disk Superalloy

The effects of hot corrosion pits on low-cycle fatigue life and failure modes of the disk superalloy ME3 were investigated. Low-cycle fatigue specimens were subjected to hot corrosion exposures producing pits, then tested at low and high temperatures. Fatigue lives and failure initiation points were compared to those of specimens without corrosion pits. Several tests were interrupted to estimate the fraction of fatigue life that fatigue cracks initiated at pits. Corrosion pits significantly reduced fatigue life by 60 to 98%. Fatigue cracks initiated at a very small fraction of life for high-temperature tests, but initiated at higher fractions in tests at low temperature. Critical pit sizes required to promote fatigue cracking were estimated based on measurements of pits initiating cracks on fracture surfaces.     

交变载荷下点蚀坑的统计分布及演化SCIEI

通过海洋工程结构钢A537的喷盐雾腐蚀疲劳试验,经阶段取样观察及定量金相分析得到了各种蚀坑参数的统计分布及分布演化规律。经统计分析发现深径比是控制裂纹萌生的参数。还发现,疲劳载荷(应力幅)不影响蚀坑萌生的快慢,但影响由蚀坑中萌生裂纹的快慢,裂纹萌生之前的蚀坑演化阶段也能反映出腐蚀疲劳的一般规律。     

Recent Developments in Pitting Corrosion of Aluminium

Abstract

This paper draws attention to the practical importance of pitting. The environmental and metallurgical factors controlling pit initiation and propagation are reviewed in the light of recent researches. It is proposed that pits start because of the presence of flaws in the oxide film exposing anodic and cathodic areas and that these pits proceed because the conditions within the pit favour dissolution of the metal. The importance of copper and chloride ions in solution is stressed, as well as the lesser importance of sulphate.     

EVOLUTION OF STATISTICAL DISTRIBUTION OF PIT GEOMETRIC PARAMETERS UNDER FATIGUE LOADING

The pits and pit-associated fatigue crack initiation of the offshore structure steel A537cLlhave been investigated under salt water spray condition.The tests were interrupted on sched-ule to make plastic replica of corroded specimen surface on which many randomly distributedpits can be found.The development of the geometric parameters of pits was obtained and thestatistical distributions of these parameters were determined.Instead of depth,the ratio ofdepth to width is the most dominant parameter in relation to crack initiation.Also,the pittingwas enhanced when low frequency or high stress range was applied and although stress rangehas no effect on the nucleation of pits,it can accelerate the initiation of cracks from pits.     

Pit-to-crack transition in pre-corroded 7075-T6 aluminum alloy under cyclic loading

Pit-to-crack transition experiments were conducted on 1.600 mm and 4.064 mm 7075-T6 aluminum alloy. Specimens were corroded using a 15:1 ratio of 3.5% NaCl solution and H₂O₂ prior to fatigue loading. Cracks originating from corrosion pits were visually investigated in order to understand how pit-to-crack transitions occur.All prior corroded specimens in the study fractured from cracks associated with pitting. Pit-to-crack transition was successfully acquired visually. Corroded 7075-T6-4.064 mm specimens experienced more of an overall fatigue life reduction than 7075-T6-1.600 mm specimens. Results indicated that quantities such as pit surface area and surrounding pit proximity are as important as pit depth in determining when and where a crack will form.     

Metastable pitting behaviour of austenite stainless steel under compressive residual stress

Metastable pitting behaviour of austenite stainless steel after compressive deformation in an acidic NaCl solution was investigated. The results show that the pit initiation rate increases while both metastable pit lifetime and growth rate decrease after compressive deformation. Meanwhile, the ratio of the surface oxide fraction of Cr to Fe increases whereas the average size of stable pits is smaller and shallow disk-shaped under compressive residual stress. The results reveal that with the aid of enrichment of Cr oxides and compressive residual stress, which helps break the remnants of the undermined passive film, pit repassivation can be accelerated.     

Prior corrosion and fatigue of 2024-T3 aluminum alloy

Pit-to-crack transition experiments were conducted on two thicknesses of 2024-T3 aluminum alloy. Specimens were corroded using a 15:1 ratio of 3.5% sodium chloride solution and hydrogen peroxide prior to fatigue loading. Cracks originating from corrosion pits were visually investigated using various microscopy techniques in order to gain insight into the pit-to-crack transition process.All pre-corroded specimens in this study fractured from cracks associated with pitting. Pit-to-crack transition was successfully observed using digital video techniques. The more aggressively corroded 2024-T3-4.064 mm specimens experienced more of an overall fatigue life reduction than 2024-T3-1.600 mm specimens. Results indicated that quantities such as pit surface area and surrounding pit proximity are as important as pit depth in determining when and where a crack will form.     

Effect of pitting corrosion on fatigue performance of shot-peened aluminium alloy 7075-T651

Pitting corrosion has a major influence on aging of structural elements made of high-strength aluminium alloys as corrosion pits lead to earlier fatigue crack initiation under tensile dynamic loading. A cause of fatigue crack initiation in a corrosive medium is a stress concentration at a corroded area. In order to improve material resistance to corrosion fatigue it is necessary to reduce pit-tip stresses. To eliminate or reduce pit stresses, cold surface hardening by shot peening was proposed. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of surface hardening by shot peening on electrochemical stability and corrosion fatigue properties of high-strength aluminium alloy 7075-T651 in the corrosive environment of a chloride solution. The results obtained show a favourable influence of shot-peening treatment on corrosion fatigue properties. Induced compressive residual stresses in the surface layer retard the initiation of fatigue cracks, and so the fatigue life improvement of structural elements made of high-strength aluminium alloys was observed.     

316LN不锈钢管状试样高温高压水的腐蚀疲劳行为

设计了一种管状疲劳试样,高温高压水流经试样内部,试样外部与空气接触。利用管状试样研究了316LN不锈钢高温高压水腐蚀疲劳性能,重点关注了应变速率对其疲劳性能的影响。实验结果表明,高温高压水环境降低了316LN不锈钢的疲劳强度,且疲劳寿命随应变速率降低而降低;管状试样与标准棒状试样获得的疲劳寿命相差不大,表明利用管状试样研究核电结构材料高温高压水环境疲劳性能是合理可行的。在低应变速率条件下,疲劳裂纹源区域为典型的扇形花样,呈现准解理开裂特征。疲劳裂纹扩展区为典型的疲劳辉纹特征。疲劳裂纹萌生阶段高温高压水环境效应更加显著。同时讨论了316LN不锈钢在高温高压水环境中的疲劳损伤机理。