Abstract
Digital Image Correlation (DIC), Acoustic Emission and Electrochemical Noise measurements were applied to study the growth of multiple intergranular cracks as a colony on an Alloy 600 in a tetrathionate solution. Cracks exceeding 55μm in length and 0.45μm in opening were successfully detected by DIC. Moreover, crack population was classified into initiating, active and dormant cracks, active population being the larger one. The emergence and intensification of interactions produced a modification on the colony growth behavior. They range from a mostly surface crack propagation (in the absence of interactions), to in depth propagation predominantly governed by crack shielding.
Highlights
Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) is a premature degradation process of metals and alloys generated by the synergistic effect of static mechanical loading and environmental factors [1]
The present study aims to develop a methodology based on Digital Image Correlation (DIC), Acoustic Emission (AE) and Electrochemical Noise (EN) techniques for characterizing the behavior of an SCC colony considering the individual evolution of each crack
Four room temperature SCC constant load tests were performed in a 10 mM K2S4O6 solution and loaded to 80% of the yield stress
Summary
Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) is a premature degradation process of metals and alloys generated by the synergistic effect of static mechanical loading and environmental factors [1]. Most nuclear reactors around the world were designed to operate for 30–40 years and are reaching the average age of 30 years [5,6] In this context, much of the safety assessments concerning SCC risk have over-simplified some stages in the aging process, such as initiation and the periods of interactions between several cracks (e.g. shielding effects, coalescence and irregular propagation) [7,8,9,10,11]. Current trends indicate that the lifetime of certain structures is extended by as much as possible, until the reactors are constructed (i.e. IV generation) [3,4,13] The latter implies a better understanding of the growth behavior of multiple cracking, which is modified by both initiation kinetics and crack interactions, in order to adapt the prevailing models
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
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 callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
