Effects of cold work on stress corrosion cracking of type 316L stainless steel in hot lithium hydroxide solution

Journal Article · Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1993 · Corrosion (Houston); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.5006/1.3316089· OSTI ID:6110766

Zheng, J H; Bogaerts, W F ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Leuven (Belgium). Dept. of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering

Lithium hydroxide (LiOH) has ben chose as the lithium compound to be used in the Aqueous Lithium Salt Blanket (ALSB) concept that has been proposed as a possible driver blanket for the Next European Torus (NET), the next generation of fusion testing devices in Europe, as well as for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor program (ITER). The stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior of cold-worked AISI type 316L stainless steel (SS) in a concentrated lithium salt solution at elevated temperature was investigated. Using the slow strain rate technique, SCC experiments were carried out on 20% and 40% cold-worked materials in a solution of 10g lithium hydroxide and 100 cm[sup 3]H[sub 2]O at 95C under conditions with controlled electrochemical potential. Observation of the fracture surfaces by scanning electron microscope indicated the SCC behavior of the cold-worked steel was essentially different from that of the solution-annealed steel. A ductile fracture of cold-worked samples occurred under open-circuit conditions ([approximately][minus]280 mV) and at 200 mV. Slight intergranular attack was found in the region near the surface of cold-worked specimens when the electrochemical potential was controlled at [minus]120 mV. SCC was observed when the experiments were conducted at +100mV. Intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) of solution-annealed material changed into a mixed SCC mode, or a dominant transgranular SCC (TGSCC) with an increase of cold work to 20% and 40%. Compared to the SCC behavior of the solution-annealed 316L, the results showed cold work improved significantly the resistance of 316L SS to IGSCC in the hot LiOH environment. Susceptibility to TGSCC of cold-worked 316L SS increased with increasing extent of cold working. These effects were reviewed with respect to electrochemical and microstructural phenomena.

• OSTI ID: 6110766
• Journal Information: Corrosion (Houston); (United States), Vol. 49:7; ISSN 0010-9312
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
Ma
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ITER TOKAMAK
THERMONUCLEAR REACTOR MATERIALS
NET TOKAMAK
STAINLESS STEEL-316L
COLD WORKING
FRACTURE PROPERTIES
STRESS CORROSION
ANNEALING
BREEDING BLANKETS
CORROSIVE EFFECTS
CRACKS
DUCTILITY
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
INTERGRANULAR CORROSION
LITHIUM HYDROXIDES
MICROSTRUCTURE
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
STRAIN RATE
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ALLOYS
AUSTENITIC STEELS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHROMIUM ALLOYS
CHROMIUM-NICKEL STEELS
CHROMIUM-NICKEL-MOLYBDENUM STEELS
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
CORROSION
CORROSION RESISTANT ALLOYS
DATA
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
FABRICATION
HEAT RES
HEAT TREATMENTS
HIGH ALLOY STEELS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXIDES
INFORMATION
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
LITHIUM COMPOUNDS
MATERIALS
MATERIALS WORKING
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
MICROSCOPY
MOLYBDENUM ALLOYS
NICKEL ALLOYS
NUMERICAL DATA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
STAINLESS STEELS
STEEL-CR17NI12MO3-L
STEELS
TENSILE PROPERTIES
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
TOKAMAK DEVICES
700480* - Fusion Technology- Component Development
Materials Studies- (1992-)
360100 - Metals & Alloys