Stress Corrosion Crack Rate of STS 304 Stainless Steel in High Temperature Water

Sensitized STS 304 stainless steel crack growth rate(CGR) in high temperature water was investigated under trapezoidal wave loading test using fracture mechanics techniques. The CGR, due to stress corrosion cracking(SCC), were systematically measured as a function of the stress intensity factor and stress. holding time under trapezoidal wave loading. In high temperature water, CGR was enhanced by a synergistic effects in combination with an aggressive environment and mechanical damage. The CGR, was basically described as a summation of the environmentally assisted crack growth rate , and fatigue crack growth rate in air $(da/dN)air,. The CGR, , increased linearly with increasing stress holding time. The CGR, decreased linearly with increasing stress holding time. Fracture surface mode varied from trans-granular cracking to inter-granular cracking with increasing stress holding time.