Influence of Clad Metal Chemistry on Stress Corrosion Cracking Behaviour of Stainless Steels Claddings in Chloride Solution

Abstract

The effect of clad metal composition on stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior of three types of SMAW filler metals (E308L-16, E309-16 and E316L-16), used for cladding components subjected to highly corrosive conditions, was investigated in boiling 43% MgCl2 solution. In order to evaluate the stress corrosion cracking susceptibility of the top layer, constant load tests and metallographic examinations in tested SCC specimens were conducted. The susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking was evaluated in terms of the time-to-fracture. Results showed that the E309-16 clad metal presented the best SCC resistance. This may be attributed to the presence of a discontinuous delta-ferrite network in the austenitic matrix, which acted as a barrier to cracks propagation. Concerning to E308-16 and E316L-16 clad metals, results showed that these presented a similar SCC test performance. Their higher SCC susceptibility may be attributed to the presence of continuous vermicular delta-ferrite in their microstructure.