Cleavage-dissolution assisted stress corrosion cracking under elastic loads

Abstract

As a significant cause of disastrous accidents, stress corrosion cracking (SCC) under elastic loads was investigated in type 316 L single-crystal stainless steel immersed in a boiling 45 wt% MgCl2 solution. Three-dimensional microcrack morphologies, characterized using synchrotron-based X-ray computed tomography, indicate that the SCC advanced along the cleavage planes (1 0 0) with the lowest free surface energy. The first-principles simulations show that synergistic adsorption of H and Cl atoms in the octahedral interstices minimized the surface energy of the cleavage planes (0 0 1) owing to a 73% reduction. Afterwards, the cleavage-dissolution mechanism is put forward, proposing that the SCC essentially originates from preferential brittle rupture of the corrosive environment particle adsorbed low-surface-energy cleavage planes in the elastic stress concentration zones, and anodic dissolution along the crack fronts. Besides, the corrosive environment particles primarily consist of the hydrogen atoms and the electronegative ions such as the chlorine ions.