Ageing of cast stainless steel components

The nuclear industry uses cast stainless steels in areas where it is paramount to ensure reactor safety. Investigations into the resistance of cast stainless steels to intergranular stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in simulated LWR conditions have shown that contrary to expectation, some nuclear grade steels are indeed susceptible to SCC. The paper sets out to determine whether the information available in the various life extension databanks is sufficient for the application of the various empirical and theoretical models to the relevant safety analyses or if not, to identify areas where data is deficient.