Initial Stage of SCC of Type 316L Stainless Steel in High Temperature and High Pressure Aqueous Solution

Abstract

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of Type316L stainless steel initiated by a slow strain rate test (SSRT) in a dilute sodium sulphate solution at 288{degree sign}C containing 8 ppm dissolved oxygen. Intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) and Transgranular stress corrosion cracking (TGSCC) was observed from Surface of sample after SSRT. Orientation measurements of Type316L were performed by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) before SSRT. EBSD analysis was also performed after SSRT. An EBSD map was obtained even after SSRT. A relation between crystal orientation and crack initiation of IGSCC and TGSCC was characterized from EBSD data before SSRT. This demonstrates that the procedure proposed in this work can be of great use for obtaining crystallographic characteristics of crack initiation.