Effects of Temperature on Stress Corrosion Cracking of Austenitic Stainless Steels in High Temperature Water

Temperature is one of the key factors for stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of nuclear power plant materials in high temperature water coolants. This paper analyzed the effects of temperature on SCC growth rates of austenitic stainless steels with different yield strengths at two stress intensity factors in high purity water. It was found that SCC growth rate was thermally activated from 110 to 288 ℃. The apparent thermal activation energy was affected by temperature range itself,stress intensity factor and yield strength. Experimental results and reported types of the temperature effect on SCC of austenitic stainless steels as well as correlated factors were analyzed.