Showing papers on "Stress corrosion cracking published in 2015"

Review of Recent Developments in the Field of Magnesium Corrosion

Abstract: This paper provides a review of recent developments in the field of Mg corrosion and puts those into context. This includes considerations of corrosion manifestations, material influences, surface treatment, anodization, coatings, inhibition, biodegradable medical applications, stress corrosion cracking, flammability, corrosion mechanisms for HP Mg, critical evaluation of corrosion mechanisms, and concluding remarks. There has been much research recently, and much research continues in this area. This is expected to produce significantly better, more-corrosion-resistant Mg alloys.

A Review of Stress-Corrosion Cracking and Corrosion Fatigue of Magnesium Alloys for Biodegradable Implant Applications

Abstract: Magnesium (Mg) alloys have recently attracted great attention as potential biodegradable materials for temporary implant applications. It is essential for any implant material to have adequate resistance to cracking or fracture in actual body environments. The most important mechanisms by which implants may fail are stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and corrosion fatigue (CF). This article presents an overview of the current knowledge of SCC and CF of Mg alloys in chloride-containing corrosive environments including simulated body fluid (SBF) and the associated fracture mechanisms, as well as critical relevance to biodegradable implant applications.

Fracture characteristics of monolayer CVD-graphene.

Abstract: We have observed and analyzed the fracture characteristics of the monolayer CVD-graphene using pressure bulge testing setup. The monolayer CVD-graphene has appeared to undergo environmentally assisted subcritical crack growth in room condition, i.e. stress corrosion cracking arising from the adsorption of water vapor on the graphene and the subsequent chemical reactions. The crack propagation in graphene has appeared to be able to be reasonably tamed by adjusting applied humidity and stress. The fracture toughness, describing the ability of a material containing inherent flaws to resist catastrophic failure, of the CVD-graphene has turned out to be exceptionally high, as compared to other carbon based 3D materials. These results imply that the CVD-graphene could be an ideal candidate as a structural material notwithstanding environmental susceptibility. In addition, the measurements reported here suggest that specific non-continuum fracture behaviors occurring in 2D monoatomic structures can be macroscopically well visualized and characterized.

Role of Thiosulfate in the Corrosion of Steels: A Review

Abstract: Thiosulfate salts have been known to be dangerous corrosion promoters for over 30 y, when present under typical service conditions. This paper reviews the role of thiosulfate anion in causing localized corrosion and/or stress corrosion cracking of steels. Electrochemical and mechanical aspects associated with the pitting and stress corrosion cracking of steels in thiosulfate-containing environments are thoroughly discussed and reviewed. In particular, results from the research studies relevant to pulp and paper, oil and gas, and nuclear industries, where thiosulfate ion is known to be present advertently or inadvertently, have been analyzed.

Mechanism of dislocation channel-induced irradiation assisted stress corrosion crack initiation in austenitic stainless steel

Abstract: The mechanism by which dislocation channeling induces irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking was determined using Fe–13Cr15Ni austenitic stainless steel irradiated with protons to a dose of 5 dpa and strained at high temperature in both argon and simulated boiling water reactor normal water chemistry environments. Straining induced dislocation channels that were characterized by digital image correlation and confocal microscopy. Dislocation channels were found to be either continuous across the boundary, discontinuous, or discontinuous with slip in the boundary. Discontinuous channels were found to contain the least amount of strain but have the highest propensity for initiating cracks. Discontinuous dislocation channel–grain boundary intersections were shown to have the highest local stress. TEM in-situ straining of irradiated steels and atomistic simulation of dislocation–grain boundary interaction provided supporting evidence that channels that were unable to transfer strain underwent cracking. The inability of channels to relieve stress, by either slip in the adjacent grain or in the grain boundary, resulted in high local stresses and increased susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking initiation.

Influence of alloyed Sc and Zr, and heat treatment on microstructures and stress corrosion cracking of Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloys

Abstract: Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior of Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloys with different Sc, Zr contents and heat treatments was studied using slow strain rate test. Grain boundary microstructures were identified by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and statistical analysis. It was found that the SCC resistance of alloys is improved by increasing Sc, Zr contents and aging degree. Grain boundary precipitates (GBPs) area fraction was found to be an important parameter to evaluate the SCC susceptibility. The results reveal that for Al–Zn–Mg–Cu–0.25Sc–0.10Zr (wt%) alloy with different aging degrees, hydrogen induced cracking dominates the SCC when the area fraction of GBPs is relatively low. For peak-aged Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy and Al–Zn–Mg–Cu–0.10Sc–0.10Zr (wt%) alloy, anodic dissolution dominates the SCC when the area fraction of GBPs is sufficiently high.

Effect of high energy shot peening pressure on the stress corrosion cracking of the weld joint of 304 austenitic stainless steel

Abstract: The weld joint of 304 stainless steel is treated using high energy shot peening(HESP) with various shot peening pressures. The grain size and metallographic microstructure of the specimen surface layer are analyzed using the X-ray diffraction method, and the surface hardness is measured. Slow strain rate tension tests are then performed to investigate the effect of shot peening pressure on the stress corrosion sensitivity. The results show that in the surface layer of the specimen, the grain refinement, hardness and the strain-induced plastic deformation all increase with the increasing shot peening pressure. Martensitic transformation is observed in the surface layer after being treated with HESP. The martensite phase ratio is found to increase with increasing shot peening pressure. The result also shows that the effects of the shot peening treatment on the stress corrosion sensitivity index depend on the shot peening pressure. When the shot peening pressure is less than 0.4 MPa, the grain refinement effect plays the main role, and the stress corrosion sensitivity index decreases with the increasing shot peening pressure. In contrast, when the shot peening pressure is higher than 0.4 MPa, the martensite transformation effect plays the main role, the stress corrosion sensitivity index increases with increasing shot peening pressure.

Stress Corrosion Cracking of Al-Mg Alloy 5083 Sensitized at Low Temperature

Abstract: Intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) in Al-Mg alloy 5083-H131 is characterized for slow-rising stress intensity loading in NaCl solution at a near-open circuit potential. The susceptible S-L orientation isolates the controlling-deleterious effect of grain boundary β (Al3Mg2) precipitates. Low-temperature sensitization produces severe IGSCC, provided that the degree of sensitization (DoS, measured by nitric acid mass loss) is above a critical level of 9 mg/cm2 to 12 mg/cm2. Fatigue precrack tip intergranular corrosion occurs, threshold stress intensity for IGSCC falls, and Stage II crack growth rate rises as single functions of mass loss for sensitization at 60°C, 80°C, or 100°C. The DoS dependence of IGSCC is explained with the coupled crack tip dissolution-hydrogen environment embrittlement mechanism. IGSCC occurs above a critical DoS when the amount of β dissolution is sufficient for hydrolytic-crack acidification promoting H uptake and α boundary embrittlement, as quantified in a companion p...

Alloy Selection for Accident Tolerant Fuel Cladding in Commercial Light Water Reactors

Abstract: As a consequence of the March 2011 events at the Fukushima site, the U.S. congress asked the Department of Energy (DOE) to concentrate efforts on the development of nuclear fuels with enhanced accident tolerance. The new fuels had to maintain or improve the performance of current UO2-zirconium alloy rods during normal operation conditions and tolerate the loss of active cooling in the core for a considerably longer time period than the current system. DOE is funding cost-shared research to investigate the behavior of advanced steels both under normal operation conditions in high-temperature water [e.g., 561 K (288 °C)] and under accident conditions for reaction with superheated steam. Current results show that, under accident conditions, the advanced ferritic steels (1) have orders of magnitude lower reactivity with steam, (2) would generate less hydrogen and heat than the current zirconium alloys, (3) are resistant to stress corrosion cracking under normal operation conditions, and (4) have low general corrosion in water at 561 K (288 °C).

Surface grain boundary engineering of Alloy 600 for improved resistance to stress corrosion cracking

Abstract: In this paper, we demonstrate a novel method for grain boundary engineering in Alloy 600 using iterative cycles of ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) and strain annealing to modify the near surface microstructure (~250 µm) for improved stress corrosion cracking (SCC) resistance. These iterative cycles resulted in increased fraction of special grain boundaries whilst decreasing the connectivity of random grain boundaries in the altered near surface region. A disrupted random grain boundary network and a large fraction of low CSL boundaries (Σ3–Σ27) reduced the propensity to sensitization. Slow strain rate tests in tetrathionate solutions at room temperature show that surface GBE lowered susceptibility to intergranular SCC. Detailed analysis of cracks using Electron Back-scattered Diffraction showed cracks arrested at J1(1-CSL) and J2 (2-CSL) type of triple junctions. The probability for crack arrest, calculated using percolative models, was increased after surface GBE and explains the increase in resistance to SCC.

The Growth of Small Corrosion Fatigue Cracks in Alloy 7075

Abstract: The corrosion fatigue crack growth characteristics of small (less than 35 microns) surface and corner cracks in aluminum alloy 7075 is established. The early stage of crack growth is studied by performing in situ long focal length microscope (500X) crack length measurements in laboratory air and 1% NaCl environments. To quantify the "small crack effect" in the corrosive environment, the corrosion fatigue crack propagation behavior of small cracks is compared to long through-the-thickness cracks grown under identical experimental conditions. In salt water, long crack constant K(sub max) growth rates are similar to small crack da/dN.