Corrosion and Stress Corrosion Cracking of Austenitic Stainless Steels

This chapter focuses on intergranular and transgranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC and TGSCC) of austenitic stainless steels in light water reactor environments, that is, IGSCC and TGSCC followed by a shorter presentation of pitting and microbiologically induced corrosion. The chapter starts with a short introduction to austenitic stainless steels after which the most important factors affecting IGSCC are described, including the effect of sensitization, deformation, environment, and stress. Similarly, the affecting parameters for TGSCC, pitting corrosion, and MIC are outlined. In all cases, examples of components at risk are described. Reference to main literature on the subjects is included