Predicting the mechanisms and crack growth rates of pipelines undergoing stress corrosion cracking at high pH

A fundamentally based mathematical model was developed with the goal to predict, as a first step, the crack growth rate (CGR) of high pH stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of buried steel pipelines. Two methods were used to predict CGRs and for both methods the model has included the film rupture and repassivation mechanism. The two methods are distinguished by the expression used to determine the active anodic current density at the crack tip. In the first method, this current density is expressed by the anodic polarization curve with a large peak current density and the prediction tends to yield a larger CGR and a lower pH at the crack tip. By contrast, when the Butler–Volmer equation is used to express the crack tip anodic current density, with a predicted low CGR the chemistry at the tip does not appear to have any significant change due to the high buffer of the solution.The predicted mechanism responsible for the steady-state crack growth is shown to be the balance between the increasing stress intensity factor as the crack grows, which tends to increase the crack tip strain rate and thus the CGR, and the change of the crack tip condition, which, for large CGRs, is the significant shift in the more negative direction of the crack tip potential, and for low CGRs, the increase of ferrous ion concentration, and either tends to decrease CGR.Limitations currently existing in the model and proposal for further development of the model are discussed.     

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.     

EFFECIS OF TEMPERATURE AND OVERLOAD RETARDATION ON CORROSION FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH OF HIGH STRENGTH STEEL

The fatigue crack growth rate (CGR) of ultra high strength steel 30CrMnSiNi2A in distilledwater at 18,35 and 55℃ were measured.It was confirmed that the temperature is strongly af-fected on the corrosion fatigue CGR of ultra high strength steel.An expression concerning theeffects of Δ K and temperature on the CGR was proposed.The fact that the apparentactivation energy (36.6 kJ/mol) resulted from regressive analysis of CGR data was similarto the activation energy of hydrogen diffusion in γ-Fe,strongly supporting the theory ofhydrogen-assisted crack growth.The overload retardation effect was greatly reduced in cor-rosion fatigue crack growth,especially at lower frequency,e.g.,0.1 Hz.This phenomenonmight be due to the increase of the SCC component of CGR after an overload.     

划痕诱发的镍基合金应力腐蚀裂尖扩展驱动力分析

为了解表面划伤导致的不同氧化物形貌对镍基合金应力腐蚀(SCC)行为的影响,模拟了膜致应力下镍基合金划伤裂纹尖端的局部应力应变场。结果表明,楔形力是引发SCC裂纹扩展的主要驱动力。划痕裂纹前端的氧化物越厚,楔形力越大,并会增大SCC裂纹扩展速率。裂尖氧化物的形成导致了压应力、压应变和负的应变速率,并会阻碍半椭圆裂纹尖端上部和下部的SCC裂纹扩展。     

Crack growth behaviour and crack tip chemistry of X70 pipeline steel in near-neutral pH environment

In this paper, crack growth behaviour and the crack tip chemistry of X70 pipeline steel in the near-neutral pH environment were investigated using the in-situ measurements. The stress corrosion crack propagated forward under the cyclic load, with a mean crack growth rate (CGR) of 4.28?×?10^–3?mm/cycle. The CGR da/dN obeys well with the stress corrosion fatigue mechanism. During the crack propagation, the crack tip environment differed significantly from the bulk solution. An aggressive electrolyte with low pH (about 4.0) and high concentration of Cl^– (about 3.8?M) was produced near the crack tip. These results provided the direct evidence for simulating the crack tip solution and investigating the crack tip anodic dissolution.     

Effects of Stress Intensity Factor on Electrochemical Corrosion Potential at Crack Tip of Nickel-Based Alloys in High Temperature Water Environments

在高温水环境中,应力会提高镍基合金裂纹尖端的阳极溶解速率并加速裂纹扩展。采用弹塑性有限元方法,对高温水环境中镍基合金裂纹尖端应力和电化学腐蚀的关系进行研究。分析了应力强度因子对模拟高温水环境中600合金1T-CT试样裂纹尖端表面电化学腐蚀电位的影响,并讨论了弹性变形和塑性变形对裂纹尖端电化学腐蚀电位变化的影响。     

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.     

安全端焊接接头镍基合金600SCC裂纹扩展行为研究

镍基合金作为压水堆一回路安全端焊接接头焊缝的常用材料,由于严苛的服役环境以及焊缝处材料力学性能的不均匀使得镍基合金极易发生应力腐蚀开裂现象,对核电安全运行造成很大影响。为了解材料宏观结构参量变化(包括材料塑性性能以及应力强度因子K)对SCC裂纹扩展速率的变化,本文通过建立镍基合金600不同宏观结构参量下的SCC裂纹扩展有限元模型,分析了镍基合金600不同塑性以及载荷参数变化对裂尖塑性区和拉伸塑性应变的影响,结果表明塑性区尺寸及裂尖拉伸应变受到裂尖应力强度因子、屈服强度及硬化指数的影响,其中裂尖应力强度因子的影响较大,同时与屈服强度成反比,应力强度因子和硬化指数成正比;通过比较不同应力强度因子下计算所得SCC扩展速率结果和高温水环境下SCC扩展速率实验,获得了符合镍基合金600的特征距离r₀的取值范围;研究结果能为核电镍基合金600的高温水环境下SCC速率预测提供一定的科学依据。     

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.     

Formation of a high-cycle fatigue fracture surface and a crack growth mechanism of ultrafine-grained copper with different stages of microstructural evolution

Fatigue tests were conducted on smooth specimens of ultrafine-grained copper produced by 4 and 12 passes of equal channel angular pressing (henceforth referred to as UFG4 and UFG12, respectively). A major crack was initiated from shear bands at an early stage of stressing. The UFG4 and UFG12 samples exhibited different growth behavior tendencies at a low crack growth rate (CGR). For UFG12, the CGR initially increased as the crack was extended with continued fatigue cycling, but then abruptly decreased before CGR reaching 10^?6 mm/c. This drop was temporary and was gradually recovered with subsequent cycling. The drop and recovery in CGR corresponded to the transitions from planar to granular fracture surface and from granular to striated fracture surface, respectively. For UFG4, there was no temporary CGR reduction, which corresponded to the change in the fracture surfaces from a planar to striated surface without any granulated surface formation. To understand the changes in growth rate and fracture surface morphologies, a quantitative model describing the crack growth mechanism is developed in this study by considering the reversible plastic zone size and the microstructural factors. The relationship between the crack growth behavior and the formation of the fracture surface is discussed based on the model.     

Understanding the effect of nitrogen in austenitic stainless steel on the intergranular stress corrosion crack growth rate in high temperature pure water

Understanding the effect of nitrogen content on the crack growth rate (CGR) due to intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) in high temperature (288 °C) pure water, in non-sensitised and strain-hardened stainless steel (SS) type 304 LN was the focus of this study. Non-sensitised SS containing two different levels of nitrogen (0.08 and 0.16 wt.%) in the solution annealed condition was strain-hardened by cross-rolling at 200 °C (warm rolling). It has earlier been reported that SS with a higher nitrogen level in the warm rolled condition has a higher CGR in high temperature pure water. Tensile testing was carried out using both the SS in the warm rolled as well as in the solution annealed condition at 288 °C. Samples were prepared for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) from the warm rolled SS and from the tensile tested (at 288 °C) specimens. TEM studies indicated that twinning and shear band formation were the major modes of deformation due to rolling at 200 °C and these feature were observed to terminate at grain boundaries, leading to regions of higher strain and stresses at grain boundaries. Higher nitrogen SS has higher grain boundary strain and stresses making the grain boundary regions more susceptible to IGSCC, resulting in higher CGR values. At 288 °C dislocation entanglement and cross-slip were the predominant modes of deformation.     

Formulating stress corrosion cracking growth rates by combination of crack tip mechanics and crack tip oxidation kinetics

A theoretical equation for stress corrosion crack growth rate of austenitic alloys in high temperature water is reformulated based on crack tip asymptotic fields and crack tip transient oxidation kinetics. A general oxidation kinetic law is introduced, emphasizing the role of mass transport through solid oxide film at the crack tip. The effects of several parameters on crack growth rate are evaluated. The results are compared with available experimental data and other equations. A good prediction of the effect of K on stress corrosion cracking growth rate of typical austenitic alloys in simulated light water reactor environments has been achieved.     

Kinetics of stress corrosion crack propagation in AA 7039 using double cantilever beam specimens

Abstract

The kinetics of stress corrosion (SC) crack propagation in region II of the crack propagation rate versus stress intensity factor curve for AA 7039 has been studied as a function of temperature and sodium chloride concentration using double cantilever beam specimens. Stress corrosion cracking tests were carried out over the range 298–328K in solutions containing 0, 2, and 3·5 wt-%NaCI. Crack propagation rate increased with increasing chloride ion concentration and temperature. Activation energies for theSC crack propagation processes in region II were found to be 32 kJ mol^?1 in distilled water and 54 kJ mol^?1 in 2·0–3·5 wt-%NaCI solution respectively. The rate controlling steps for SC crack propagation are discussed in terms of anodic dissolution at the crack tip, ion transport within the crack tip solution, creep at the crack tip, and hydrogen diffusion within the metal. From the relation between SC crack propagation rate and stress intensity factor in region II, it is suggested that crack propagation is controlled by hydrogen transport within the metal in sodium chloride solutions, but by cation transport from the crack tip solution to the bulk solution in distilled water.     

Mathematical modelling of the electrochemistry in corrosion fatigue cracks in steel corroding in marine environments

A mathematical model has been developed to describe the mass transport and electrochemical conditions in a corrosion fatigue crack in steel in 3.5% NaCl and in sea water for both freely corroding and anodic polarization conditions. Mass transport by advection (fluid flow induced by the movement of the crack walls), diffusion and ion migration was considered. Anodic and cathodic processes, hydrolysis reactions (including hydrolysis of alloying elements) and buffering reactions were included in the model. The pH value developed within the crack at a temperature of 5°C was between 7.0 and 8.5 for a wide range of conditions, with the maximum value controlled by the buffering associated with deposition of ferrous hydroxide. The lower pH values corresponded to relatively high ferrous ion concentration and were obtained for combinations of high R values (minimum/maximum load) and low frequencies for which convective mixing with the bulk solution was minimized. The presence of chromium in the steel at the 1 wt% level had only a small effect on the crack tip pH value in deep cracks but could lower the pH considerably (to about 4.0) in very shallow cracks (2.5 × 10⁻² cm) if the potential was about −600 mV(SCE). The potential drop in the crack was relatively small (<30 mV) for a wide range of conditions at the free corrosion potential for structural steel in sea water ( −690 mV(SCE)) but increased markedly with anodic polarization with the effect most pronounced for deep cracks. Comparison of the model predictions with experimental measurements showed very good agreement with respect to crack tip pH and potential.     

镍基合金应力腐蚀裂尖氧化膜力学特性分析

裂纹尖端氧化膜形成与破裂是核电站压力容器高温水环境中镍基合金材料应力腐蚀开裂(SCC)的主要过程之一。由于应力腐蚀裂纹尖端形貌和扩展方式的特殊性,本研究利用ABAQUS有限元软件的子模型技术,在微观尺度下对由裂尖氧化膜和基体金属共同构成的应力腐蚀裂尖应力应变场进行了分析。结果表明,SCC裂尖氧化膜前端沟形裂纹的存在,会造成氧化膜中应力和应变的很大变化,且随着沟形裂纹的长度增加,这种变化越加明显;另一方面,与氧化膜中应力相比,塑性应变对裂尖形貌变化更加敏感,从一个侧面说明,裂尖塑性应变是研究SCC裂尖氧化膜形成与破裂比较理想的力学参量。     

IGSCC crack growth in simulated BWR environment – Effect of nitrogen content in non-sensitised and warm rolled austenitic stainless steel

Effect of nitrogen level in strain hardened stainless steel (SS) on crack growth rate (CGR) in simulated boiling water reactor conditions has been the focus of this study. Type 304 LN stainless steel has been used in a warm rolled condition containing two different levels of nitrogen. Clear intergranular (IG) fracture was observed in both the stainless steels. The CGR increased 3 times in the stainless steel with higher level of nitrogen at all levels of dissolved oxygen and this was related to the increase in yield strength due to rolling and dynamic strain aging (DSA).     

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.     

多层氧化膜应力腐蚀开裂裂尖的微观力学特性

以氧化膜破裂理论和光电化学法的研究结论为基础,利用有限元分析方法对高温水环境中316不锈钢表面多层氧化膜应力腐蚀开裂(SCC)裂纹尖端微观力学状态进行了分析。结果表明:裂纹尖端区域的高应力应变区主要集中在氧化膜的Fe_3O_4层中;多层氧化膜中不同材料层的交界处均出现应力应变的突变;多层氧化膜中Cr_2O_3层和镍富集层的高应力是促使氧化膜强度减小并发生脆断的主要原因之一。     

基于数字图像相关技术的SLM-IN718细观表面裂纹扩展机制

开展了室温下不同应力比(R = 0.1及R = -1)的原位疲劳试验,并结合数字图像相关技术(DIC)分析了选区激光熔化IN718镍基高温合金(SLM-IN718)的细观超高周表面裂纹扩展机制。结果表明：首先,DIC分析表明SLM-IN718受载时裂纹尖端出现了类似于蝴蝶形的塑性应变区,这与采用Von Mises屈服准则相一致;其次,分析裂尖前方应变场特征、位移场特征,确定SLM-IN718存在裂纹闭合效应,并对其裂纹闭合效应进行评估,对SLM-IN718而言,R = 0.1与R = 0条件下载荷分别达到最大载荷的53%与29%时裂纹张开;此外,建立了虑及裂纹闭合效应的裂尖塑性区尺寸评估模型,计算值与实测值一致性较好;最后,结合DIC分析结果探讨了SLM-IN718低应力条件下的表面裂纹扩展机制。     

Analytical modeling of stress-induced martensitic transformation in the crack tip region of nickel–titanium alloys

A novel analytical method, which predicts the extent of the stress-induced martensitic transformation (SIM) in the crack tip vicinity of nickel–titanium (NiTi)-based shape memory alloys, as well as describing the stress distribution in both transformed and untransformed regions, is presented. The method has been validated by comparisons with results from finite-element simulations with good agreement. Furthermore, the method has been used to analyze the effects of various thermomechanical parameters on the extent of the transformation region near the crack tip. Finally, the effects of several thermomechanical loading conditions, in terms of both applied stress and temperature, on the crack tip transformation behavior have been analyzed. The results highlight a marked effect of temperature on the extent of the transformation region and, consequently, on the crack tip stress distribution. As a consequence, temperature plays a role in the fracture process of NiTi alloys.