Stress corrosion cracking susceptibilities of carbon steel and its welded joint in high temperature water

This study was carried out in order to understand the behavior of Fan-shaped Pattern type Stress Corrosion Cracking (FSP-SCC) susceptibilities of carbon steel and its welded joints in pure water, simulating an LWR under high temperature and high pressure. The susceptibility of FSP-SCC was examined under various temperatures (373 to 573 K) and dissolved oxygen levels (0.007 to 8 ppm) as environmental factors using the slow strain-rate tensile test (SSRT). An evaluation method for susceptibility of FSP-SCC using data obtained here, are discussed and then an optimized evaluation method is proposed. We also investigated SCC susceptibility at the welded joints. Materials used: S45C carbon steel.