Stress corrosion cracking in dissimilar metal welds with 304L stainless steel and Alloy 82 in high temperature water

Abstract

For a better understanding toward stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in dissimilar metal welds with 304L stainless steel and Alloy 82, the SCC growth behavior in the transition regions of weld joints was investigated via slow strain rate tensile (SSRT) tests in 280 °C pure water with a dissolve oxygen level of 300 ppb. Prior to the SSRT tests, samples with dissimilar metal welds were prepared and underwent various pretreatments, including post-weld heat treatment (PWHT), shot peening, solution annealing, and mechanical grinding. In addition to the SSRT tests, measurements of degree of sensitization and micro-hardness on the transition regions of the metal welds were also conducted. According to the test results, the samples having undergone PWHTs exhibited relatively high degrees of sensitization. Distinct decreases in hardness were observed in the heat-affected zones of the base metals in all samples. Furthermore, the fracture planes of all samples after the SSRT tests were located at the stainless steel sides and were in parallel with the fusion lines. Among the treating conditions investigated in this study, a PWHT would pose a detrimental effect on the samples in the aspects of mechanical property and degree of SCC. Solution annealing would lead to the greatest improvement in ductility and SCC retardation, and shot peening would provide the treated samples with a positive improvement in ductility and corrosion retardation, but not to a great extent.