Evaluation of stress corrosion cracking of high-nitrogen Cr-Mn stainless steel

Includes bibliographical references.The stress corrosion cracking susceptibility of an experimental high nitrogen Cr-Mn stainless steel, known as Cromanite ™, and conventional AISI 304 stainless steel were investigated in order to compare their stress corrosion performance in solutions where AISI 304 stainless steel is known to be susceptible. Slow strain rate tests (SSRT) were performed on solution treated specimens a t30°C in aerated aqueous sodium chloride (NaCI) solution containing hydrochloric acid (HCI) of varying concentration at open circuit potentials. Static tests in the form of bent-beam tests were performed on both solution treated and aged specimens in 3M NaCI solution containing 0.05 M HCI. Potentiodynamic scans and Tafel plots were used to assess corrosion behaviour and corrosion rate respectively, while the electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation (EPR) method was used to quantify the degree of sensitisation for the materials. The SSRT revealed poor corrosion behaviour of Cromanite TM in the presence of hydrochloric acid. Whilst AISI 304 could be examined for stress corrosion cracking at HCI concentrations up to 0.5 M HCI, Cromanite ™ exhibited corrosion rates which were too fast to permit assessment of stress corrosion susceptibility at HCI concentrations of 0.15 M or above. SCC started in a salt solution containing 0.05M HCI for AISI 304 while Cromanite TM cracked in both salt solution (3M NaCI) and in 0.05 M HCI +3M NaCI. The bent-beam test performed on solution treated specimens revealed no evidence of cracking for both alloys after 100 days of exposure; however, Cromanite ™ suffered substantial mass loss after this period. While aged Cromanite TM suffered intergranular cracking after only 25 days in the test solution, no cracking was observed for the aged AISI 304 after 75 days