Effects of loading mode and water chemistry on stress corrosion crack growth behavior of 316L HAZ and weld metal materials in high temperature pure water

The stress corrosion cracking (SCC) growth rates of 316L weld heat-affected zone (HAZ) and weld metal materials in high temperature pure water at 288 °C were measured using contoured double cantilever beam (CDCB) specimens and an alternating current potential drop (ACPD) in situ crack-length monitoring system. The effects of loading mode and dissolved oxygen and hydrogen on crack growth rate (CGR) were experimentally quantified. Typical intergranular SCC was found in the HAZ specimen and interdendritic SCC was identified in the weld metal specimen. The HAZ specimen and the weld metal specimen showed quite a similar response to the applied loading modes and the water chemistry, even though their absolute CGR values were different. The crack growth rates under trapezoidal loading were moderately higher than those under constant loading by several tenths percent. Switching the water chemistry from the oxygen-bearing water to the hydrogen-bearing water drastically decreased the electrochemical potential and the crack growth rate, and vice versa. A time-lag period for crack growth was observed after switching the water chemistry back to the oxygen-bearing water, where the crack growth rate was low even the dissolved oxygen concentration and the electrochemical potential had become high. Strain hardening and the resultant uneven distribution of deformation contribute to the enhanced intergranular SCC growth behavior in the HAZ area. The crack growth kinetics is analyzed based on the deformation/oxidation interaction at the crack tip, considering the importance of the electric-charge transfer, mass transport kinetics and the crack tip strain rate.     

Effects of cold working path on strain concentration, grain boundary microstructure and stress corrosion cracking in Alloy 600

Grain boundary microstructure, strain distribution and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in one dimensional (1D), two dimensional (2D) and three dimensional (3D) cold worked Alloy 600 were investigated. The cold working decreased the annealing twins and increased low angle boundaries. 2D cold working caused lower strain concentration at grain boundaries than 1D and 3D cold working. The intergranular SCC (IGSCC) susceptibility was the highest in 1D cold worked alloy while lowest in 2D cold worked alloy. The IGSCC susceptibility displayed a strong correlation with the grain boundary strain concentration and the grain boundary microstructure.     

Intergranular environmentally assisted cracking of Alloy 182 weld metal in simulated normal water chemistry of boiling water reactor

Following characterization of grain boundaries in Alloy 182 weld metal, intergranular environmentally assisted cracking (IGEAC) growth behavior of the alloy in simulated normal water chemistry (NWC) of boiling water reactor (BWR) was tested by employing a crack growth rate test. The grain boundary was found consist of about 72% random boundaries, 21% low-angle boundaries and a few coincident boundaries.The correlation between the grain boundary characters and IGEAC was discussed. Based on the IGEAC growth rates obtained in the test and evaluations of the crack tip strain rate, the parameter of the slip-dissolution/oxidation model that embodies the kinetics of oxidation/repassivation in the crack-tip environment of Alloy 182 in BWR-NWC was quantitatively determined.     

Effects of cold working degrees on grain boundary characters and strain concentration at grain boundaries in Alloy 600

Strain concentration at grain boundaries and grain boundary microstructure in cold worked Alloy 600 were characterized. Excluding the annealing twin boundaries, the base and 20% cold worked alloys exhibited higher random grain boundary fractions than the 8% and 40% cold worked alloys. An increased low angle boundaries and decreased annealing twins were observed with deformation. The 20% cold worked alloy displayed a maximum strain concentration at grain boundaries. The stress corrosion cracking growth in cold worked Alloy 600 in high temperature water showed a strong correlation with the strain concentration at grain boundaries.     

Characterization of microstructure,local deformation and microchemistry in Alloy 600 heat-affected zone and stress corrosion cracking in high temperature water

With increasing the distance from the weld fusion line in an Alloy 600 heat-affected zone, kernel average misorientation decreases and the fraction of Σ3 boundaries increases. Cr₇C₃ carbides mainly precipitate at random high angle boundaries. Chromium depletion and segregation of boron and phosphorous at grain boundaries are observed. Alloy 600 heat-affected zone specimens exhibit higher intergranular stress corrosion cracking growth rates than that in the base metal in simulated pressurized water reactor water environments. Crack growth rate is enhanced by strain hardening and by increasing temperature. The role of stress on interface oxidation kinetics is analyzed.     

Role of water chemistry and microstructure in stress corrosion cracking in the fusion boundary region of an Alloy 182-A533B low alloy steel dissimilar weld joint in high temperature water

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in the fusion boundary (FB) region of an Alloy 182-low alloy steel (LAS) dissimilar weld joint in 288 °C water was investigated by experiments and finite element simulation. Creviced bent beam and crack growth rate (CGR) experiments showed that, while the FB was a barrier to SCC growth, further crack growth into LAS was activated by a combined effect of sulfate and dissolved oxygen in water. Finite element simulation suggested that a positive gradient of hardness as the crack approached to the FB in dilution zone caused decreased CGR. Role of microstructure and water chemistry in SCC was discussed.     

Stress corrosion cracking of gas-tungsten arc welds in continuous-cast AZ31 Mg alloy sheet

AZ31 Mg alloy sheet was welded using a gas-tungsten arc (GTA) process over inserts containing 2.3–9.3 wt.% Al. The welded specimens were susceptible to SCC in distilled water, with susceptibility increasing with decreasing weld metal Al (or β particle) concentration. Primary stress corrosion cracks initiated at the weld metal–HAZ interface by stress-assisted localised dissolution and propagated through the weld and base metals by transgranular and intergranular H-assisted fracture (TG-HAF and IG-HAF) respectively. The IG fracture mode may be intrinsic to the texture imparted upon the base metal by rolling. The increase in SCC susceptibility with decreasing weld metal Al concentration is contrary to the purported roles of β particles in promoting localised corrosion and as crack nucleation sites, but corresponds with increases in weld – base metal galvanic current density and weld metal localised corrosion susceptibility.     

Performance of NiB inhibitor for PbSCC of alloy 600 in Pb-contaminated water and caustic solutions

Nickel-based iron-chromium alloys are used as steam generator (SG) tubing materials in nuclear power plants (NPPs) but experience intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) and lead stress corrosion cracking (PbSCC) due to the harsh operating conditions of NPPs. In order to improve the integrity of SGs, many studies have sought suitable inhibitors for IGSCC, while those for PbSCC have been sought to a limited extent. In this study, the performance of nickel boride (NiB) as an inhibitor for PbSCC was evaluated. Nickel boride has been shown to be a good inhibitor for IGSCC of Alloy (or Inconel) 600 in a caustic aqueous solution containing no lead (Pb). No significant SCC was observed to occur in Alloy 600 tested in pure water under the slow strain rate test (SSRT) condition in this study. A mixed mode of IGSCC and TGSCC, however, occurred relatively easily in Alloy 600 tested in pure water containing lead oxide (PbO) at 315 °C. The susceptibility of Alloy 600 to SCC decreased with the addition of NiB, implying that NiB can be used as an inhibitor for PbSCC in Pb-contaminated water.     

Transgranular SCC mechanism of thermally treated alloy 600 in alkaline water containing lead

This work aims to understand a SCC failure mode of thermally treated steam generator tubing materials in high temperature water containing lead. The effect of lead contents on the anodic polarization curves of alloy 600 (UNS NO6600) and alloy 690 (UNS NO6900) has been studied in a solution of pH 10 at 200 °C and 315 °C. Lead increased the active peaks of alloy 600 and alloy 690 in mild alkaline water at high temperatures. A reduction of PbO to a metallic lead in alloy 690 is easier than that of alloy 600. When lead was added into the solution, a relative ratio of Cr from among the main metallic elements (Cr, Fe, and Ni) of alloy 600 and alloy 690 decreased in the outer corrosion film. Alloy 690 TT showed a transgranular stress corrosion cracking (TGSCC) in a 10 M NaOH solution with 5000 ppm of lead. Intergranular stress corrosion racking (IGSCC) was observed in the 100 ppm lead condition, and some TGSCC was detected on the fracture surface of the alloy 600 MA cracked in the 10,000 ppm lead solution. IGSCC seemed to be retarded by a crack blunting around the grain boundaries, and the TG cracking mode of the thermally treated alloy 600 and 690 seemed to be related to a crack blunting at the grain boundary carbide and a film dissolution by lead in an alkaline solution.     

Transient and steady state crack growth kinetics for stress corrosion cracking of a cold worked 316L stainless steel in oxygenated pure water at different temperatures

The stress corrosion cracking (SCC) growth kinetics for a cold worked 316L stainless steel was continuously monitored in high purity water at different temperatures and dissolved oxygen (DO) levels under a K (or K_max) of 30 MPa m^0.5. The total SCC test time was more than 8000 h to make sure the steady state crack growth rate under each test condition could be reached. Crack growth rate (CGR) increases with increasing temperature in the range 110-288 °C. A typical intergranular-cracking mode is identified. Depending on the previous test condition, especially the temperature, three kinds of crack growth kinetics, i.e., increasing with testing time then becoming steady, being constant during the whole period, or decreasing with test time then becoming steady, are identified and discussed. Time-dependent and testing history-dependent crack growth modes were confirmed in two series of tests in 2 ppm DO and 7.5 ppm DO pure water. The apparent activation energies are calculated and compared with other data in different environments under different applied loading levels for understanding the cracking mechanism.     

Stress corrosion cracking of alloy 600 in an aqueous solution containing lead oxide

The stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior of Alloy 600 was studied in aqueous solutions containing lead. Electrochemical polarization and current transient experiments were performed at 315 °C in a 40% sodium hydroxide solution to assess the effect of lead on a passive film formed on Alloy 600. The influences of the alloy microstructure and the addition of an inhibitor to the environments on lead-induced SCC were investigated using C-ring and slow strain-rate tensile (SSRT) tests in demineralized high-purity water and caustic solutions containing PbO at 315 °C. The surface films on Alloy 600 were examined using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDXS). The PbO markedly accelerated SCC of Alloy 600 in the caustic solution and the high-purity water at 315 °C. The addition of nickel boride (NiB) or cerium boride (CeB₆) to the test solutions decreased the susceptibility of Alloy 600 to SCC. Thermally treated Alloy 600 (Alloy 600 TT) tended to crack in a transgranular mode, while the solution-annealed Alloy 600 (Alloy 600 SA) tended to crack in an intergranular mode in water containing PbO.     

Effect of microstructure on stress corrosion cracking of alloy 600 and alloy 690 in 40% NaOH

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behaviors of Alloy 600, Alloy 690 and the Ni-10Cr-10Fe alloy have been studied using a C-ring in 40% NaOH solution at 315°C. The current density of Alloy 690 in polarization curves was higher at 200 mV above corrosion potential than that of Alloy 600. SCC resistance increased with Cr content for the chromium carbide free alloys, probably due to facilitation of SCC crack tip blunting with an increase in Cr content. Both thermally treated Alloy 600 and sensitized Alloy 600 have a comparable amount of intergranular carbide. But the former is more resistant to SCC than the latter, which might be attributed to the presence of the slight Cr depletion around the grain boundary in the former one. Sensitized Alloy 600 showed higher SCC resistance than the solution annealed one due to intergranular carbide in sensitized Alloy 600. This implies that the beneficial effect of intergranular carbide overrides the harmful effects of Cr depletion for sensitized Alloy 600. SCC resistance of Alloy 600 increased with grain size. This article based on a presentation made in the symposium “The 4th International Conference on Fracture and Strength of Solid”, held at POSTECH, Pohang, Korea, August 16–18 under the auspices of Far East and Ocean Fracture Society (FEOFS),et al.     

划伤690TT合金在高温含氧水中应力腐蚀裂纹萌生的研究

利用划伤技术研究了690TT合金在325 ℃高温含氧硼锂水中的裂纹萌生和生长情况。试样表面和截面显微分析的结果表明,划伤沟槽底部局部萌生了典型的沿晶应力腐蚀裂纹。由于应力集中,在慢速率拉伸阶段划伤沟槽底部产生了机械裂纹,而机械裂纹成为恒载过程中690TT合金沿晶应力腐蚀裂纹萌生和生长的先导。尖端非常接近晶界或者沿着晶界的机械裂纹可继续形成沿晶应力腐蚀裂纹。690TT合金在恒载荷条件下对应力腐蚀开裂仍有一定的敏感性。     

Effects of heat treatment and chromium content on the environmentally assisted cracking behavior of the dissimilar metal welds in simulated BWR coolant environments

The environmentally assisted cracking behavior of dissimilar metal (DM) welds, including Alloy 52 – A508 and Alloy 82 – A508, under simulated BWR coolant conditions was studied. Effects of postweld heat treatment (PWHT) on the SCC and corrosion fatigue crack growth rates of DM welds were evaluated. PWHT brought about a change of the carbide precipitate distribution and strain localization, thus leading to a redistribution of the weld residual stress. It is concluded that Cr content in the weld may not be the sole factor governing the SCC resistance; the localized strain concentration could also play an important role.     

Primary water stress corrosion cracking in alloy 600 and intergranular crack growth rate

The effects of the stress intensity factor and dissolved hydrogen on the crack growth rate in primary water reactor environments was investigated with alloy 600 with continuous carbide films at grain boundaries. A primary water stress corrosion cracking of intergranular fracture mode was observed. The intergranular crack growth rate decreased with a decreasing stress intensity factor, and the dissolved hydrogen content influenced the crack growth rate. Such results are consistent with those reported previously.     

压水堆核电站蒸汽发生器用600合金管在含铅高温碱溶液中的应力腐蚀行为研究

    采用U型弯曲试样研究了高、低温工厂退火状态的压水堆蒸汽发生器（SG）商用化600合金管在330℃、含10g/L PbO的10%NaOH高温水溶液中的应力腐蚀开裂（SCC）行为.结果表明,在氢浓度很高时,600合金表现为较严重的晶间腐蚀（IGA）,最大侵蚀深度约270μm;没有观察到明显的应力腐蚀开裂,腐蚀晶界中有铅的沉积;冷拉预变形、退火温度对材料的腐蚀和应力腐蚀行为的影响不明显.     

Effects of water chemistry and loading conditions on stress corrosion cracking of cold-rolled 316NG stainless steel in high temperature water

The effects of electrode potential, stress intensity factor and loading history on stress corrosion cracking growth of a cold-rolled 316NG stainless steel in 288 °C pure water were investigated. Crack branching and intergranular stress corrosion cracking along random grain boundaries were observed by electron-back scattering diffraction. A strong dependence of crack growth rate on stress intensity factor is observed. A single-cycle overloading produced a retarded transient cracking growth period. The mild inhibiting effect of decreasing electrode potential on crack growth of cold-rolled 316NG SS is analyzed based on the interaction between crack tip mechanics and crack tip oxidation kinetics.     

The dependency of the crack growth rate on the loading pattern and temperature in stress corrosion cracking of strain-hardened 316L stainless steels in a simulated BWR environment

The stress corrosion cracking (SCC) growth rate of a warm-rolled (WR) 316L stainless steel contoured double cantilever (CDCB) specimen was measured in high purity water at various temperatures and under various loading patterns. An alternating current potential drop (ACPD) technique was used to monitor the crack growth kinetics throughout the tests. The fracture surface exhibited typical intergranular SCC characteristics. Depending on the test conditions, three kinds of crack growth kinetics, i.e., increasing with time then becoming steady, being constant during the whole period, decreasing with time then becoming steady, were identified and are described. The steady state crack growth rate (CGR) values are used to quantify the effects of the loading pattern and the environmental temperature. A moderate increase in the crack growth rate was encountered by employing periods of unloading and reloading to form a trapezoidal loading pattern and the enhancement factor was found to depend on the holding time and the times for unloading and reloading. It was found that the crack growth is thermally activated; however, the apparent activation energy is not constant but seems to be greater at higher temperatures. Several types of temperature-dependent crack growth kinetics are proposed based on the rate-determining step for the crack growth. The present experimental results can be rationalized by considering multiple element processes such as aqueous mass transport and solid-state mass transport in the crack growth. The cracking mode, the temperature dependence of the crack growth rate, and the transient crack growth behavior for WR 316L SS after changing the environmental temperature are quite similar to those for a cold-worked(CW) 316L SS tested in the same environment, despite their different absolute crack growth rate values. The effect of yield strength on CGR is more significant at lower temperatures and the apparent activation energy for the crack growth rate seems to be lower in the material with a higher yield strength. Time-lag crack growth behavior was found at points during several test steps on WR 316L SS, for example, just after in situ pre-cracking and after increasing or decreasing the temperature, which is quite consistent with the results obtained with CW 316L SS. The importance of in situ monitoring of the crack growth for obtaining steady state crack growth rates is emphasized, especially for those steps for which a nonlinear crack growth period occurs after changing the test condition.     

Internal oxidation of Alloy 600 exposed to hydrogenated steam and the beneficial effects of thermal treatment

Alloy 600 in the solution annealed (SA) and thermally treated (TT) conditions was exposed to a hydrogenated steam environment considered to simulate primary water in pressurized water reactors. The likely susceptibility to primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) was evaluated using the internal oxidation model. A FIB was used to extract cross-sections from Alloy 600 samples and elemental maps were generated; internal oxidation was observed intragranularly in all cases, resulting in expulsion of metallic nickel to the surface. Intergranular oxidation and embrittlement was observed in SA samples, while a thick and dense Cr-rich oxide was formed intergranularly on TT samples.     

Microstructure and stress corrosion cracking in simulated heat-affected zones of duplex stainless steels

The effects of nitrogen content and the cooling rate on the reformation of austenite in the Gleeble simulated heat-affected zone (HAZ) of 2205 duplex stainless steels (DSSs) were investigated. The variation of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior in the HAZ of 40 wt% CaCl₂ solution at 100 °C was also studied. Grain boundary austenite (GBA), Widmanstatten austenite (WA), intergranular austenite (IGA) and partially transformed austenite (PTA) were present in the HAZ. The types and amounts of these reformed austenites varied with the cooling rate and nitrogen content in the DSS. U-bend tests revealed that pitting corrosion and selective dissolution might assist the crack initiation, while the types and amounts of reformed austenite in the HAZ affected the mode of crack propagation. The presence of GBA was found to promote the occurrence of intergranular stress corrosion cracking. WA, IGA and PTA were found to exhibit a beneficial effect on SCC resistance by deviating the crack propagation path.