Behavior and evaluation of stress corrosion cracking of typical anchor bolt steel in simulated crevice environment

Abstract

To prevent unpredictable hazards caused by stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of bolts, a new rapid evaluation methodology was developed to assess their susceptibility under real condition. This innovative approach involved conducting fast and slow sweep electrochemical experiments and slow strain rate test (SSRT) methods to determine the potential range and correlation constant associated with SCC. To confirm solution composition in the crevice, we design a device to extract the test solution. Additionally, we investigated the correlation between SCC behaviors and applied cathodic potential by analyzing the fracture morphology of tensile specimen and employing analytical techniques such as Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).The experimental findings demonstrated that the dynamic potential scanning method effectively identifies the critical potential value or sensitive potential range for SCC in crevice environment. Moreover, the stable and unstable currents obtained at a specific cathodic potential can be used to quickly assess SCC susceptibility.