Corrosion and Stress Corrosion Cracking of Explosively Shocked Austenitic Stainless Steels and Explosion-Bonded Stainless Steel-to-Steel Clads

Corrosion rates and sensitivities to stress corrosion cracking of two types of austenitic stainless steel (Type 304 and Type 310) were investigated after explosive shocking between 90 and 540 kb. In boiling nitric acid as well as in ferric sulfate-sulfuric acid, the intergranular corrosion of both Type 304 and Type 310 stainless steel was only mildly affected by explosive shocking in fully solution-annealed as well as in sensitized material. Explosive shocking at pressures below a critical threshold value did not increase the sensitivity of either type of stainless steel to stress corrosion cracking. Cracking due to shock-induced residual stresses occurred above 200 kb in Type 304 stainless steel and above 300 kb in Type 310.