Study and computer modeling of stress corrosion cracking during DET test

Abstract

The stainless steels and related alloys with sufficient resistance to a general corrosion can be susceptible to a localized corrosion (pitting, cracking, intergranular corrosion) in certain environment under specific conditions. The Drop Evaporation Test (DET) was developed for study of stainless materials resistance to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) at elevated temperatures 100 - 300 °C under constant external load using a chloride containing water solution. In the contribution the initiation and propagation of short cracks as well as pits were observed during the test by the travelling microscope method. The crack initiation and/or propagation can be influenced by failing water solution drops. The modeling uses finite element analysis of formulated thermoelasticity problem.