A Fracture Probability Competition Mechanism of Stress Corrosion Cracking

The stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of austenitic stainless steel was studied via polarization, slow strain rate and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques. Many SCC mechanisms have been proposed in which hydrogen embrittlement and passive film rupture-repassivation theories are generally accepted, but they can hardly explain the SCC mechanism of austenitic stainless steel in acidic chloride solution adequately, because the steel is in active dissolution state and cathodic polarization can prevent it from occurring. Our experiment shows that the anodic current increases the creep rate and decreases the plastic strength of the material on single smooth specimen as well as at the SCC crack tip. The fractured surface was characterized as brittle cleavage, while the surface crack of smooth specimen was almost vertical to the tensile strength, which can confirm that the cracks were caused by tensile stresses. A fracture probability competition mechanism of SCC was proposed on the basis of the experimental results combined with the viewpoint of ductile-brittle fracture competition. When the anodic dissolution current is increased to a certain degree, the probability of fracture by tensile stress will exceed that by shear stress, and the brittle fracture will occur. The proposed SCC mechanism can riot only explain the-propagation of SCC cracks but can explain the crack initiation as well. The strain on the surface distributes unevenly when a smooth specimen is deformed, so does the anodic current distribution. The crack will initiate at a point where the anodic current density is large enough to cause the material at a specific point to fracture in brittle manner.