Irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC) of austenitic stainless steel (SS) is known to occur in water environments at temperatures near 288°C, but very little information exists to indicate susceptibility as temperatures are reduced. Potential low-temperature behavior is assessed based on the temperature dependencies of intergranular (IG) SCC in the absence of irradiation, radiation-induced segregation (RIS) at grain boundaries and micromechanical deformation mechanisms. IGSCC of sensitized SS in the absence of irradiation exhibits high growth rates at temperatures down to 200°C under conditions of anodic dissolution control, while analysis of hydrogen-induced cracking suggests a peak crack growth rate near 100°C. Hence from environmental considerations, IASCC susceptibility appears to remain likely as water temperatures are decreased.

Irradiation experiments and model predictions indicate that RIS also persists to low temperatures. Chromium depletion may be significant at temperatures below 100°C for irradiation doses greater than 10 displacements per atom (dpa). Macromechanical effects of irradiation on strength and ductility are not strongly dependent on temperature below 288°C. However, temperature does significantly affect radiation effects on SS microstructure and micromechanical deformation mechanisms. The critical conditions for material susceptibility to IASCC at low temperatures may be controlled by radiation-induced grain boundary microchemistry, strain localization due to irradiation microstructure and irradiation creep processes.

Subject
Strain rate, Crack growth, Water, Materials, Intergranular stress corrosion cracking, Deformation, Irradiation, Irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking, Vacancies, Creep, Stainless steel, Fracture, Grain boundary
Keywords:
Irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking, temperature dependence, radiation-induced segregation, deformation, intergranular stress corrosion cracking
© 1995 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
1995
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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