Induced Stress Corrosion Cracking Research Articles

The impact of loading rate on chloride induced stress corrosion cracking of 304L stainless steel

Abstract The influence of applied loading rate (dK/dt) on stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior in annealed 304L stainless steel immersed in 4.7 M MgCl2 solution was assessed at varying temperatures from 23 °C to 70 °C. Measured crack growth rates obtained under rising K loading (dK/dt > 0) are compared to those obtained during static K testing. A rising K-based loading protocol was found to yield more conservative crack growth rates across all temperatures, with the variation in crack growth rates (and therefore the dependence in loading rate) decreasing with increasing environmental severity.

Enhanced hydrogen induced stress corrosion cracking resistance of Ni-advanced weathering steel by Ni and Mn modification

The stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior of three kinds of Ni-advanced weathering steel and a common weathering steel are examined in a simulated harsh marine environment by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, electron backscattered diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, electrochemical tests, and slow strain rate tensile tests under different applied potentials. The results show that the SCC susceptibility of all test steel is low at open circuit potential. However, the SCC sensitivity of the conventional weathering steel increases significantly at − 1200 mV, while the Ni-advanced weathering steel exhibits good resistance to hydrogen embrittlement, which is attributed to the improved stacking fault energy, decrease of martensite-austenite constituents and refined grain size caused by increase in Ni and Mn content.

Effect of Anodic Polarization on the Susceptibility of AA6111 Automotive Sheet to Stress Corrosion Cracking

AA6xxx Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloys are increasingly used to meet lightweight objectives in automotive applications given their high strength-to-weight ratio. However, their use in conjunction with steels and carbon fiber-reinforced polymers in these applications will result in galvanic coupling that may be deleterious to the Al alloy. As such, the ability of anodic polarization to induce stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in AA6xxx, an alloy typically considered SCC-resistant, is explored. In this study, fracture mechanics-based testing under full immersion in 0.6 M NaCl was used to quantify the threshold stress intensity above which SCC can occur (KTH) and stage II SCC crack growth rate (da/dtII) as a function of applied potential at and above the freely corroding potential. Under freely corroding conditions and potentials applied within the range observed for the freely corroding potential, no SCC was observed as results matched those gathered in the air (i.e., KTH was equivalent to the measured fracture toughness). When applying potentials anodic to the freely corroding potential (greater than −706 mVSCE), a decrease in KTH and an increase in da/dtII was observed. Crack growth rates measured under anodic polarizations were slowed through the reapplication of the freely corroding potential. These data imply that galvanic coupling may have the capacity to induce severe SCC in AA6111.

Novel photocatalytic coating for corrosion mitigation in 304LSS of dry storage canisters

Type 304L stainless steel (304LSS) is one of the candidate canister materials for storing radioactive spent fuels, usually near seashore environments along with nuclear power plants. During the prolonged exposure of dry storage canisters to saline environments, they are highly susceptible to chloride induced stress corrosion cracking. Failure of a dry storage canister not only would release radioactive isotopes into the environment, but would also lead to a costly replacement of the cracked canister. The objective of this study is to develop a multilayered titanium dioxide (TiO2) composite coating on a 304LSS substrate. With ultraviolet (UV) illumination, this coating would act as a barrier and simultaneously offer cathodic protection against corrosion in the substrate alloy. The composite coating consists of a plain amorphous TiO2 coating over another cerium-doped (Ce-doped) TiO2 coating. Electronic currents generated by photo-catalytic reaction of the amorphous TiO2 coating under UV illumination were measured. Photo-electrochemical analyses and surface morphology observations were conducted to evaluate the performance of the Ce-doped coatings on corrosion mitigation. Optimal amounts of cerium doping that offered better photo-cathodic protection were also explored. Results indicated that the Ce-doped TiO2 coating exhibited a better performance on photo-cathodic protection for 304L stainless steel in aerated 3.5% NaCl solutions than the one without cerium doping. The underlying Ce-doped TiO2 coating was effectively charged during UV illumination, and it was able to continuously release electrons even after the UV was switched off, thus providing uninterrupted photo-cathodic protection for the coated 304L stainless steel substrate.

Accelerated corrosion testing of cold spray coatings on 304L in chloride environments

Cold spray is an advanced metal manufacturing technique applied across many fields for a wide range of functions. Low heat input and compressive stresses induced into the substrate by the cold spray process makes it a promising choice for protective corrosion resistant coatings. One potential application for cold spray is as a protective coating against corrosion for spent nuclear fuel (SNF) interim dry storage canisters. As these canisters are currently stored at interim storage locations longer than originally intended, chloride induced stress corrosion cracking has been identified as a high priority knowledge gap, specifically with respect to prolonging or extending canister lifetimes (Teague et al., 2019). The high deployability of cold spray, for which nozzles have been developed for application in constrained spaces, in conjunction with beneficial properties inherent to cold spray makes this a good candidate for a corrosion protection coating on SNF canisters. This work explores a pathway to rapidly down-select cold spray coatings for canisters by focusing on the corrosion properties. Specifically, this study examines the corrosion protection abilities of nickel and nickel-based alloy cold spray coatings on 304 L stainless steel in chloride rich environments through electrochemical scans and ferric chloride pitting tests (ASTM G48 Method A). It was shown that the porosity of the coating, the processing gas, material selection, and deformation in the substrate all impact the corrosion behavior of cold spray coatings and are areas where optimization could reduce potential materials degradation, enabling enhanced coatings development.

Capacity of concrete structures with corroded reinforcement and prestressing tendons

The main degradation mechanism for concrete structures is corrosion of the reinforcement and prestressing tendons. Management of structures with such degradation requires detailed understanding of their remaining strength and safety and if necessary, make a decision regarding repairs or replacement of the structure or components. Some simplified methods for estimating the residual capacity of concrete structures do exist, primarily based on a reduction of the flexural capacity equal to the percentage of the corroded area. In this paper, a more physical understanding and description of the influence of corrosion on the strength is investigated, based on a reduction of the area of the reinforcement and prestressing tendons both due to uniform corrosion and pitting corrosion. The results of these models are successfully compared to experimental results of concrete beams with corrosion. Particularly corrosion of post-tensioned tendons is a concern for concrete structures. Some disturbing examples of collapse of concrete bridges have been seen as a result of such corrosion. The paper highlights the importance of the significant strength loss of the reinforcement as a result of corrosion itself, but also the loss of ductility due to possible hydrogen embrittlement and hydrogen induced stress corrosion cracking. The paper also suggests sulphate reducing bacteria as a possible explanation to corrosion issues related to corrosion of post-tensioned tendon structures where no chloride is found. The aim of the paper is to propose a method to calculate a lower bound estimate of the remaining capacity of concrete beams with corrosion damage to reinforcement and to the prestressing tendons.

Magnetic nondestructive evaluation using higher sensitive magnetic field sensor for thermally aged Inconel 600 alloy

AbstractNi base alloy, Inconel 600, has high strength and high corrosion resistance, and is therefore widely used for steam generators tubing in power generation plant. During long‐term plant operation at higher temperature, sensitization occurs along grain boundary, which will induce stress corrosion cracking. The alloy is paramagnetic basically; however, it transforms into ferromagnetic along grain boundaries when Cr depletion occurs. Since Cr depletion is attributed to sensitization of the material, nondestructive testing for sensitization using changes in magnetic properties will be possible. Here, Inconel 600 alloy was heat treated at 600°C from 0 to 400 hours to occur sensitization. Then, the magnetic field sensor with relatively higher sensitivity scanned over the sensitized specimen. The change in the magnetic field near the surface of specimen is related to the degree of chromium carbides progressing sensitization. The obtained results suggest that scanning with magnetic field sensor is effective to assess sensitization due to heat treatment for Ni base alloy.

Corrosion of High-Strength Carbon Steels in Siderite Supersaturated Water at Near Neutral pH

When carbon steel corrodes in anaerobic carbonated water, and the steel surface area to liquid volume is high, the concentration of ferrous and bicarbonate ions increases rapidly even though the corrosion rate is low. Such solutions with high bicarbonate concentration and a near neutral pH are believed to induce stress corrosion cracking of high-strength carbon steels. This work was conducted to investigate the solid precipitation in siderite supersaturated solutions. It was also an objective to measure the corrosion rate of high-strength carbon steel in solutions with high bicarbonate concentration at pH close to neutral. Preloading the solutions with ferrous ions and bicarbonate made it possible to measure desupersaturation and corrosion rate as function of time. The initial siderite supersaturation was more than 1,000 in the desupersaturation experiments. Despite this, the nucleation and growth of siderite was so slow that the solutions remained supersaturated for 100 h to 500 h at 10°C to 25°C. The ferrous ion concentration decreased from 1,200 mg/kg to 100 mg/kg in less than 24 h at 40°C, but did not reach equilibrium within 250 h. The precipitate was siderite at 5°C to 25°C. At 40°C, the solid was a mixture of siderite and chuckanovite in low salinity water and siderite with dissolved Ca2+ in artificial seawater. The corrosion rate of carbon steel at pH 6.7 to 7.2 at 25°C decreased to less than 0.01 mm/y in 5 h. Siderite precipitated and grew to a thin protective layer at the steel surface. Even though the solutions were highly supersaturated with respect to siderite throughout the experiments, the carbonate layer at the steel surface did not grow to more 5 μm thickness during 250 h to 400 h. The investigated steels were armor wires for flexible pipes. They have an oxide layer at the surface which is an inherent result of the manufacturing process. The presence of these oxides did not impede the formation of protective siderite layer.

Cathodic and Anodic Stress Corrosion Cracking of a New High-Strength CrNiMnMoN Austenitic Stainless Steel

A new high-nitrogen austenitic stainless steel with excellent mechanical properties was tested for its resistance to stress corrosion cracking. The new conventional produced hybrid CrNiMnMoN stainless steel combines the excellent mechanical properties of CrMnN stainless steels with the good corrosion properties of CrNiMo stainless steels. Possible applications of such a high-strength material are wires in maritime environments. In principle, the material can come into direct contact with high chloride solutions as well as low pH containing media. The resistance against chloride-induced stress corrosion cracking was determined by slow strain rate tests and constant load tests in different chloride-containing solutions at elevated temperatures. Resistance to hydrogen-induced stress corrosion cracking was investigated by precharging and ongoing in-situ hydrogen charging in both slow strain rate test and constant load test. The hydrogen charging was carried out by cathodic charging in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution with addition of 1 g/L thiourea as corrosion inhibitor and recombination inhibitor to ensure hydrogen absorption with negligible corrosive attack. Slow strain rate tests only lead to hydrogen induced stress corrosion cracking by in-situ charging, which leads to total hydrogen contents of more than 10 wt.-ppm and not by precharging alone. Excellent resistance to chloride-induced stress corrosion cracking in 43 wt.% CaCl2 at 120 °C and in 5 wt.% NaCl buffered pH 3.5 solution at 80 °C is obtained for the investigated austenitic stainless steel.

Cold spray technology in nuclear energy applications: A review of recent advances

Cold spray technology is a promising solid-state, powder-based deposition methods for fabrication of coatings, near-net-shape manufacturing, and component repair. In recent years, this technology has been investigated for many applications in the nuclear energy sector. For example, it has been explored for the deposition of coatings of corrosion and oxidation materials on zirconium-alloys fuel claddings in light water reactors (LWR) for achieving more accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) cladding. Other examples of its use for nuclear energy applications include coatings for enhancements in wear resistance and heat transfer, near-net shape manufacturing of next-generation fuel claddings of oxide dispersion-strengthened (ODS) steels, and for mitigation and repair of potential chloride induced stress corrosion cracking in used fuel storage canister systems. This paper reviews published literature on the application of cold spray process for nuclear energy applications, while pointing to gaps that have yet to be addressed.

Modelling Hydrogen Induced Stress Corrosion Cracking in Austenitic Stainless Steel

ABSTRACTA model has been developed which simulates the deformation of single crystal austenitic stainless steels and captures the effects of hydrogen on stress corrosion cracking. The model is based on the crystal plasticity theory which relates critical resolved shear stress to plastic strain and the strength of the crystal. We propose an analytical representation of hydrogen interactions with the material microstructure during deformation and simulate the effects hydrogen will have on void growth prior to fracture. Changes in the mechanical properties of the crystal prior to fracture are governed by the interaction of hydrogen atoms and ensembles of dislocations as the crystal plastically deforms and is based on the hydrogen enhanced localised plasticity (HELP) mechanism. The effects of hydrogen on void growth are considered by analysing the effect of hydrogen on the mechanical property of material bounding an embedded void. The model presented has been implemented numerically using the User Material (UMAT) subroutine in the finite element software (ABAQUS) and has been validated by comparing simulated results with experimental data. Influencing parameters have been varied to understand their effect and test sensitivities.

Accelerated crack growth experiments of SS304H for dry storage canister in substitute ocean water – Effect of temperature

Spent nuclear fuels (SNFs) are expected to be stored in dry storage canisters (DSCs) for much longer time than earlier anticipated due to a lack of permanent deep geological repository. As a result, DSCs located in marine environment may undergo chloride induced stress corrosion cracking (SCC) during long-term storage of SNFs. We report here the effect of test temperature on accelerated crack growth experiments carried out on sensitized austenitic stainless steel SS304H in substitute ocean water using fracture mechanics approach. Wedge-opening loading specimens were selected for measurement of crack growth rates using direct-current potential drop technique. Average crack growth rates of 0.975 × 10−10 ± 9.528 × 10-12, 3.258 × 10−10 ± 9.551 × 10-11 and 1.580 × 10-9 ± 2.593 × 10−10 m/s were obtained for 22, 37 and 60 °C, respectively resulting in an activation energy of 60.9 kJ/mol corresponding to diffusion of hydrogen in steel. Intergranular crack propagation was noted along with formation of chromium-rich carbide precipitates at grain boundaries.

The effect of sensitization treatment on chloride induced stress corrosion cracking of 304L stainless steel using U-bend test

Chloride induced stress corrosion cracking (CI-SCC) commonly occurs for 300 series of austenitic stainless steels that are widely used in the petrochemical industry. The occurrence of CI-SCC requires certain circumstances such as corrosive environment, tensile stress, and susceptible material. Heat treatment temperature between 550 °C–650 °C followed by cooling process causes the sensitization of austenitic type stainless steel in which a chromium-depleted band is formed adjacent to the grain boundary. In this study, the impact of sensitization on CI-SCC was examined using austenitic stainless steel grade 304L (SS 304L). The specimens were shaped into U-bend as per ASTM G30 and exposed for long-term immersion test. U-bend samples were heat sensitized at 600 °C for 2 h followed by air cooling. Samples were immersed in 0.1 wt%, 1.0 wt% and 3.5 wt% NaCl into the water bath at temperature of ambient (baseline), 70 °C and 90 °C for 42 days. They were monitored weekly for visual examined for crack. Stereo and optical microscopy were used to identify the CI-SCC and morphology of U-bend specimens. In the beginning, pit corrosion was observed and followed by cracks growth initiated from the localized pit. The results indicated that Cl-SCC was observed for all sensitized SS 304L specimens at elevated temperature conditions which was more susceptible than the as-received type specimens. The trend indicated that the higher the temperature or chloride concentration, the shorter the time for crack initiation. There was no CI-SCC for both types of specimens at ambient condition. Two CI-SCC likelihood graphs with respect to chloride concentration versus temperature are plotted based on the test data.

Factors Involved in Stress Corrosion Cracking of Tubes from a Nuclear Power Plant Feedwater Heater

This study has been carried out to identify the operating factors involved in the failure of two tubes made of 304 stainless steel removed from a high pressure feedwater heater working in a nuclear power plant. The samples cut from tubes have been analyzed by different methods: visual examination, optical (metallographic) microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Following analyses, on the surface of tubes was highlighted the presence of many pits in which cracks have started. Inside the pits, impurities of the type S, Cl, K, Ca were detected too. The branched cracks most likely have occurred as a result of precipitation of small amounts of chlorides deposited and concentrated on the surface of the tubes over a long period of operation. The stresses that favored this type of corrosion cracking were both residual stresses and stresses occurring at the torsion and bending of the tubes, while the high water temperature from feed heater was also a favorable factor for corrosion. The final conclusion was that the tubes failed by a chloride induced stress corrosion cracking mechanism.

Factors Involved in Stress Corrosion Cracking of Tubes from a Nuclear Power Plant Feedwater Heater

This study has been carried out to identify the operating factors involved in the failure of two tubes made of 304 stainless steel removed from a high pressure feedwater heater working in a nuclear power plant. The samples cut from tubes have been analyzed by different methods: visual examination, optical (metallographic) microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Following analyses, on the surface of tubes was highlighted the presence of many pits in which cracks have started. Inside the pits, impurities of the type S, Cl, K, Ca were detected too. The branched cracks most likely have occurred as a result of precipitation of small amounts of chlorides deposited and concentrated on the surface of the tubes over a long period of operation. The stresses that favored this type of corrosion cracking were both residual stresses and stresses occurring at the torsion and bending of the tubes, while the high water temperature from feed heater was also a favorable factor for corrosion. The final conclusion was that the tubes failed by a chloride induced stress corrosion cracking mechanism.

Efficient Computation on Prediction of Welding Residual Stress of a Large and Complex Offshore Structure

A mock-up of an offshore structure was prepared by multi-pass welding of several components with different thicknesses, different materials, different grooves, and ultra-long welding lengths. It may be very time consuming to obtain the stress distribution of the mock-up with conventional thermal elastic-plastic (TEP) computational methods. An efficient computation method, i.e. the model separation and stress assembly method, was proposed in the present study to obtain the stress distribution of the mock-up within an acceptable time. The full finite element (FE) model with solid elements was first created and separated into two independent parts, and the stress distribution in each part was obtained by using the TEP FE method. Finally, the full stress distribution in the mock-up was obtained by assembling the stress distributions from each part. The computed results show that the predicted stresses of the mock-up agree with the measured data obtained by using the hole-drilling method and x-ray diffraction method. Therefore, the proposed efficient method for stress simulation in large and complex structures can guarantee the simulation accuracy within an acceptable computation time on a common computer workstation. 1. Introduction Because of the intense concentration of heating during fusion welding, the welding seam and its vicinity undergo rapid heating and cooling, generating residual stress in the joint. Welding residual stress can be detrimental to the structure's performance because of fatigue, creep, and plastic collapse (Withers 2007). In addition, it can induce stress corrosion cracking (Dong et al. 1997). Therefore, investigation of welding residual stress distribution is very important to facilitate the structure design and life evaluation of welded structures. The experimental measurement of residual stress has practical limitations. For large and complex structures such as offshore components, it is impossible to obtain the full residual stress distribution from experiments. The finite element (FE) numerical simulation of the welding process can measure the full stress distribution during the welding process with the advantages of being economical, nondestructive, and repeatabile. Therefore, it has been widely applied in many industrial fields to investigate the mechanisms of welding processes, stress and distortion characteristics, and the service life of welded structures (Lindgren 2006).

In-Situ optical Microscopy Corrosion Experiments for Correlating Microstructure to Corrosion Susceptibility in Aluminum Alloy

Aluminum-Magnesium alloys (5xxx series) are widely used in marine applications, structural components in transportation, and military due to their high corrosion resistance, low density, and good mechanical properties. However, at moderate and high temperatures (>50oC) these alloys are vulnerable to sensitization, or precipitation of β phase (Al3Mg2) preferentially on grain boundaries, resulting in susceptibility to intergranular corrosion and environmentally induced stress corrosion cracking. The primary research theme of this talk is to understand how microstructure variations dictate local corrosion susceptibility of aluminum 5456 in corrosive environments. To explore microstructure effects, we corroded sensitized aluminum 5456 in a dilute nitric acid solution. Prior to corrosion, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) was used to characterize the microstructure and deformation state of the alloy in terms of the grain structure, geometrically necessary dislocation density, constituent particles, and grain boundary character. In situ optical microscopy corrosion experiments were then used to directly observe corrosion initiation and propagation behavior, with fiducial markers used to correlate the observed corrosion behavior with the characterized microstructure. Image recognition algorithms facilitated the quantification of corrosion sites and corrosion propagation rates as a function of time and grain boundary path. Obtaining this information is crucial as the microstructural features that govern corrosion initiation may be different from the features that dictate propagation pathways. My talk will focus on the microstructure characteristics that dictate corrosion susceptibility to initiation as well as propagation and the relevance of these data for developing corrosion- and sensitization-resistant microstructures.

C(T) 시편을 이용한 오스테나이트계 스테인리스 강의 염화물에 의한 응력부식균열 실험 기법 개발

본 논문에서는 해안가에 설치되는 사용후핵연료 보관용 캐니스터의 염화물에 의한 응력부식균열 평가를 위해 새로운 실험 방법을 제시한다. 개발된 실험기는 표준 C(T) 시편을 사용하여 분석이 용이하고, 볼트 조임으로 정 변위 하중을 가해준다. 또한 침수 방식을 이용한 가속 실험이 가능하고 염화 환경과 로드셀의 분리를 통해 하중 신호의 안정성을 높인다. 오스테나이트계 304 스테인리스 강(STS304)으로 제작한 2개의 시편으로 28일간 예비 실험을 수행하였고, 그 결과 수렴된 하중 값은 각각 4,382.2, 3,980.8N, 균열 진전량은 1.41E-4m, 1.77E-4m로 계측되었다. 계측 값을 바탕으로 수렴된 하중을 이용해 계산한 응력확대계수는 각각 40.0, 41.8 MPa· m 이다. 결론적으로, 실험 결과를 바탕으로 개발된 실험기를 이용한 새로운 CISCC에 의한 결함 평가 방법을 제시하였다.

Preventing Stress Corrosion Cracking of Spent Nuclear Fuel Dry Storage Canisters

Multi-purpose canisters (MPCs) are being employed for dry canister storage of spent fuel at nuclear plant sites as a temporary approach until an interim or permanent dry storage site(s) is available. For storage in coastal or lakeside regions and even humid environments, the corrosive nature of the moist air with entrained chlorides can make the welded regions of the canisters susceptible to pitting and chloride induced stress corrosion cracking (CISCC). In this report we evaluate CISCC lifetimes of welded 316L stainless steel canister plates showing in excess of 19 times increase of laser peened panel sections vs. those left as-welded using ASTM G36 (2013) accelerated corrosive testing. Specifically cracks never developed or propagated into the laser peening area. We also provide measurements of residual stress in test plates and related calculations of stress intensity and depth expected in the full canister geometry. We discuss the relevance of stress depth to pitting depth and crack growth rates. For this project welded 316L stainless steel panels were configured to MPC geometry and laser peened in the same manner as deployed for actual canisters. Our two-dimensional stress mapping shows that high energy laser peening provides deep (>5 mm) plastic compression. Literature information is not clear as to specific dependence of crack initiation and growth rates on variables including temperature, specifics of chlorine exposure, pit nucleation and residual stress intensity and depth. In our CISCC testing, although extensive cracking developed quickly (less than 18 hours) in the unpeened area, no cracking developed at all in the laser peened sections after 340 hour exposure. We further show that cracking that initiated and grew in unpeened regions arrested upon propagating to the laser peened boundary. We performed detailed finite element stress analysis (FEA) to evaluate the difference in expected retention of stress generated by the peening of test panels and the more constrained geometry of actual storage canisters. Our analysis shows that the 4 mm depth of stress measured in unconstrained test panels correlates to actual stress depth in the confined canister geometry of 6 mm, that is approximately 2 mm deeper thus satisfying a key stress depth requirement. The accelerated CISCC tests indicate that MPC design life can be dramatically improved by laser peening thereby making the MPCs a viable technical and economic solution to prevent CISCC. Following qualification testing and system configuration, a high energy laser peening process was deployed to peen welds of the dry fuel canisters for the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant. The laser peening thereby helps ensure that the storage canisters will remain free from chlorine induced stress corrosion cracking.

Controlling chloride induced stress corrosion cracking of AISI 316L stainless steel by application of buffing

Abstract This paper presents the effect of buffing on the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) resistance of machined surfaces of AISI 316L stainless steel (SS). Surface finishing operations are known to lower the SCC resistance of austenitic stainless steels and yet are unavoidable. AISI 316L SS samples were given for different surface finishing operations like turning, milling and grinding. The surface roughness in each case was determined using stylus profiler (contact mode). Lattice strain and phase changes were detected by X-ray diffractometry (XRD) studies. SCC susceptibility has been studied before and after surface buffing operation by exposing to magnesium chloride hexahydrate solution (MgCl2.6H2o) as per ASTM standard procedure G36 for 3h. Microstructural characterization before and after SCC tests were characterize by using field emission SEM (FESEM). Results highlights that AISI 316L SS in turned, milled, and ground condition were highly prone to Cl– induced SCC. But on the application of buffing, the SCC resistance of the samples was enhanced and no cracking was observed. Crack enhancement was due to a) reduced surface roughness b) minimum plastic strain and c) high compressive residual stresses generated during buffing operation.