The Heat Treat Doctor

Daniel H. Herring | 630-834-3017 | heattreatdoctor@industrialheating.com

Stress Corrosion Cracking

C omponents fail for a variety of reasons, which in-

cludes a corrosion phenomena characterized by the
fact that stress (and/or deformation) is present to
provide a trigger that leads to sudden crack forma-
tion, propagation and failure. Lets learn more.
Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is the type of failure mecha-
blunting of the crack tip. If the brittle lm re-forms over the
blunted crack tip (under the inuence of corrosion processes),
such a process can be repeated over and over again.

Negating the Effects of SCC

A combination of good design, correct selection of SCC-resistant
nism caused by a combination of environmental, material and materials, environment management, maintenance and inspec-
stress conditions (Fig. 1). It is generally considered the most com- tion can effectively control this type of corrosion. Stresses to con-
plex of the failure modes since it can attack sider include:
soft or hard parts; ferrous or nonferrous ma-  Operational conditions
terials; ferritic or austenitic structures; and Applied (tensile) stresses
materials in the unalloyed or alloyed state.  Thermally induced factors
Cracks may propagate in a transgranular or Temperature gradients
intergranular fashion or in a combination Differential thermal forces (expansion and contraction)
of the two. The stress, however, must be in  Buildup of corrosion products
the form of tensile stress above some mini- Volumetric dependent
mum (i.e. threshold) value, usually below  Assembly issues
the yield stress of the material and in the Poor t up (tolerance problems)
presence of a corrosive environment that includes suldes, chlo- Tightening/torqueing
rides, caustics and hydrogen. Temperature is a signicant environ- Press and shrink ts
mental factor affecting crack formation, and pitting is commonly Fastener interference
associated with SCC phenomena. In addition, catastrophic failure Joining method
can occur without signicant deformation or obvious (surface) de-  Residual stresses (from the manufacturing processes)
terioration of the component. Joining (welding, brazing, soldering)
The SCC phenomena can be affected by many factors in addi- Forging or casting
tion to stress level, including alloy composition, microstructure, Surface treatment (plating, mechanical cleaning, etc.)
concentration of corrosive species, surface nish, micro-environ- Heat treatment (quenching, phase changes)
mental surface effects, temperature, electrochemical potential Forming and shaping
and the like. Further complications are initiation and propagation Machining
phases and the observation that in some cases cracks initiate at Cutting and shearing
the base of corrosion pits.
One of the most important considerations to negate the ef-
Mechanisms fects of SCC is choosing the proper alloy. It is relatively simple to
There is no identied single mechanism explaining SCC, but sev- choose a component with adequate strength and good (general)
eral theories have been proposed. corrosion resistance. However, knowing the particular type of
Active path propagation: Localized preferential corrosion SCC issues that may be at work in the application is an impor-
(a.k.a. dissolution) at the crack tip, along a susceptible path, tant step in achieving a resistant material. In certain environ-
with the bulk of the material remaining in a more passive state.
The rate of metal dissolution can be several orders of magni-
tude higher when an alloy is in its active state compared to its
Materials susceptible Environment
passive condition.
Hydrogen embrittlement: High hydrogen concentrates in
highly stressed regions, such as at the crack tip or other stress
concentrators, leading to localized embrittlement. Stress
Brittle lm-induced cleavage: Cracks initiated in a brittle sur-
face lm may propagate (over a microscopic distance) into un-
derlying, more ductile material before being arrested by ductile Fig. 1. Factors contributing to stress corrosion cracking

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Optical microscopy
a) Failed component (b) Grain-boundary attack (500X unetched)
Fig. 2. Fastener failure Stress corrosion cracking[2]
ments, it may be necessary to choose a material that will experi-
ence some general corrosion since general corrosion is visually
evident, and, with proper preventative maintenance, general
corrosion can be seen and components replaced as necessary.
On the other hand, SCC is rarely visually apparent and often
occurs without warning (Fig. 2). When it does, a catastrophic
failure often follows.
Other methods include removing the corrosive environment
or changing the manufacturing process or design to reduce the
tensile stresses. A combination of good design, careful selection of
stress corrosion-resistant grades (e.g., stainless steel) and effective
management, including maintenance and inspection, all can ef-
fectively control corrosion. Specic steps can be taken to prevent
the onset of SCC and minimize its consequences when it does
occur by:
Consideration of the potential for SCC during the design and
fabrication of components
Selection of appropriate material grades
Maintaining a chemical balance of the environment
Ensuring that the potential for (organic or inorganic) contami-
nation is minimized
Maintaining proper environmental conditions (e.g., air quality)
Regular inspections of components for signs of corrosion and
SCC
Importance of Material Selection
In many applications, austenitic stainless steel fasteners (e.g.,
ASTM A193 grade B8) of 304 and 316 stainless steels provide good
general corrosion resistance and are commonly requested. How-
ever, in marine environments where stainless steel would seem
to be the logical choice, alloy-steel fasteners are preferred due to
SCC concerns. Chlorides, uorides and other halogens are known
catalysts for chloride SCC. In order to reduce their susceptibility
to general corrosion, alloy-steel fasteners such as grade B7 are usu-
ally provided with some type of protective coating (e.g., zinc or
cadmium plating). However, the designer must still be aware that
24 October 2011 - IndustrialHeating.com
rial H
TH
Scanning electron microscopy
(c) Intergranular attack
this can lead to another form of corrosion due to environmental
stress cracking in the form of liquid metal embrittlement (LME) or
a related failure mode, solid metal induced embrittlement (SMIE).
Therefore, appropriate cautions must be taken.
In addition to SCC, other forms of embrittlement include: (a)
environmentally induced cracking due to such factors as cold work
(i.e. residual stress), welding, grinding, thermal treatment or ser-
vice conditions; (b) hydrogen embrittlement from plating, weld-
ing, cathodic protection and as a by-product of general corrosion;
(c) corrosion fatigue; and (d) liquid-metal embrittlement.
In Conclusion
Careful consideration of the factors discussed above as well as
taking the time to understand how and where a component will
be used in service can help minimize stress corrosion cracking in
most applications. IH
References:
1. Naumann, Friedrich Karl, Failure Analysis: Case Histories and
Methodology, Dr. Riederer-Verlag GmbH, 183.
2. Mr. Alan Stone, Aston Metallurgical Services Company, Inc. (www.
astonmet.com), private correspondence.
3. Reilly, Peter, Swimming in the Dangerous Waters of Stress Corrosion,
Roof Consultant (www.roofconsultant.co.uk)
4. Spence, Thomas, Selecting the Right Fastener, Materials Newsletter,
Flowserve (www.owserve.com).
5. Fastenal (www.fastenal.com)
6. www.corrosion-club.com
7. Corrosion Doctors (corrosion-doctors.org)
8. ASTM International (www.astm.org)
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