Stress corrosion cracking of cold worked 316L stainless steel in high temperature and high pressure pure water

Abstract

The stress corrosion cracking growth behavior of 316L stainless steel, which is used as nuclear auxiliary pipelines, was continuously monitored by a direct current potential drop method under a constant stress intensity factor K of 33 MPa·m1/2. By comparing the cracking behavior of this material at 200, 250, 280 and 325℃ in 2 mg·L-1 oxygenated water and deoxygenated water, we found that the crack growth rate is faster in the oxygenated water than in the deoxygenated water. Experimental results also show that there is a peak of the crack growth rate of this material in the deoxygenated water at 250℃, while the crack growth rate increases with the rise of temperature in the oxygenated water.

Keywords

• stainless steel
• compact tensile specimens
• high temperature
• high pressure
• stress corrosion cracking
• crack growth rate