Atmospheric stress corrosion crack growth rates of 316 L stainless steel for nuclear waste containment

Abstract Atmospheric stress corrosion cracking (SCC) tests were conducted for a 316 L stainless steel (SS) at an applied stress of 1.1 σ0.2 with a chloride deposition density of approximately 100 µg/cm2 deposited as MgCl2 from solution. The test specimens were exposed in an atmospheric chamber at a constant temperature of 40 °C with initial relative humidity (RH) of 40%, followed by an increase to 60% RH, then 80% RH, and finally a decrease to 60% RH. The total exposure period was 6500 h (about 9 months). The stress corrosion crack growth rate decreased with increasing RH and with increasing crack depth.