Cause of failure of a 316 stainless steel pipe elbow in a cooling circuit of a reactor

Abstract

This research deals with a study to determine the cause of cracking and later broke of an accessory made of stainless 316 steel in the cooling circuit of a reactor. Several characterization techniques were applied such as: optical emission spectrometry, sweep optical and electronic microscopy, including microanalysis with EDAX. It was concluded that the main cause of the failure are related to a mixing deterioration mechanism by intercrystalline corrosion sensitive, mechanic fatigue and stress corrosion cracking.

Keywords

• mecanismo de fractura
• acero inoxidable 316
• corrosión
• fatiga mecánica.