| Abstract: | Hydrogen induced stress corrosion cracking (HSCC) resistance and mode of fracture in various low and high strength steels (yield strength 120 to 960 MPa) and containing different levels of phosphorus content were studied using constant extension rate test method in various acid media viz. sulphuric acid solutions under cathodic polarisation, hydrogen sulphide saturated solutions of sodium chloride + acetic acid (NACE solution) and synthetic sea water (BP solution). In case of low strength steels (yield strength 120–265 MPa), the HSCC susceptibility in sulphuric acid increased with phosphorus content and became very high irrespective of phosphorus content in hydrogen sulphide saturated solutions. The susceptibility was directly related to different hydrogen activities measured in these solutions. No significant dependence of HSCC susceptibility on the phosphorus segregation as high as 20 atom % at the grain boundaries was found and the fracture mode was always transgranular. In contrast, a similar segregation of phosphorus in high strength steels (yield strength 875–960 MPa) caused a reduction in HSCC resistance and changed the fracture mode to intergranular. |
