Abstract
Abstract The effects of anodic, cathodic, and open-circuit potentials (OCP) on the environmental cracking behavior of 17% Cr-4% Ni (17-4 [UNS S17400]) precipitation-hardenable (PH) stainless steel (SS) welds subjected to different thermal treatments were studied. Sheets of 17-4 PH SS 1.5 mm (0.059 in.) thick and in solution-treated condition were full-penetration welded autogenously using the gas tungsten arc welding process (GTAW). Weldments were given one of two postweld heat treatments: direct aging and solution treatment + aging. Samples were aged at 480°C for 1 h , 510°C for 4 h, and 600°C for 4 h. Environmental cracking tests were conducted using U-bend samples. Samples were tested in 3.5% sodium chloride (NaCl) solution (pH = 2.0) under various applied potentials. The failure time at each potential was taken as the criterion for cracking resistance of the samples. At OCP and at anodic potentials, cracking was found to occur by an active path dissolution mechanism in the heat-affected zone (HAZ). Al...
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
