Abstract
The stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior of cast austenitic stainless steels of unaged and thermally aged at 400 °C for as long as 20,000 h were studied by using a slow strain rate testing (SSRT) system. Spinodal decomposition in ferrite during thermal aging leads to hardening in ferrite and embrittlement of the SSRT specimen. Plastic deformation and thermal aging degree have a great influence on the oxidation rate of the studied material in simulated PWR primary water environments. In the SCC regions of the aged SSRT specimen, the surface cracks, formed by the brittle fracture of ferrite phases, are the possible locations for SCC. In the non-SCC regions, brittle fracture of ferrite phases also occurs because of the effect of thermal aging embrittlement.
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