Correlations of electrochemical noise, acoustic emission and complementary monitoring techniques during intergranular stress-corrosion cracking of austenitic stainless steel

Specimens of sensitized type AISI 304 stainless steel were subjected to constant load and exposed to an aqueous sodium thiosulphate solution. Intergranular stress-corrosion cracking was monitored simultaneously for electrochemical noise, acoustic emission, and specimen elongation. A section of the gauge length was monitored optically with subsequent analysis by digital image correlation. Correlations between the results were observed and analysed. Electrochemical noise and elongation are associated with crack propagation from the early stages, whereas acoustic emission is associated with the final stages of fracture. Digital image correlation analysis is sensitive to crack development, and is used to measure crack length and crack openings.

[1]  Philip J. Withers,et al.  In situ analysis of cracks in structural materials using synchrotron X-ray tomography and diffraction , 2006 .

[2]  Russel H. Jones,et al.  Stress-Corrosion Cracking. Materials Performance and Evaluation , 1992 .

[3]  F. Huet,et al.  Noise Resistance Applied to Corrosion Measurements I. Theoretical Analysis , 1997 .

[4]  A. Legat,et al.  Comparative Analysis of Electrochemical Noise Generated During Stress Corrosion Cracking of AISI 304 Stainless Steel , 2000 .

[5]  C. Loto,et al.  Electrochemical Noise Generation during Stress Corrosion Cracking of Alpha-Brass , 1987 .

[6]  J. Galvele,et al.  A stress corrosion cracking mechanism based on surface mobility , 1987 .

[7]  R. Newman,et al.  Testing the film-induced cleavage model of stress-corrosion cracking , 1993 .

[8]  R. H. Jones,et al.  Evaluation of stress corrosion crack initiation using acoustic emission , 1991 .

[9]  T. Marrow,et al.  Grain Boundary Engineering for Crack Bridging: A New Model for Intergranular Stress Corrosion Crack (IGSCC) Propagation , 2007 .

[10]  J. Dawson,et al.  Analysis of Electrochemical Noise Generated by Corroding Electrodes under Open‐Circuit Conditions , 1988 .

[11]  Petrus Christiaan Pistorius,et al.  Metastable pitting corrosion of stainless steel and the transition to stability , 1992, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Physical and Engineering Sciences.

[12]  A. Legat,et al.  Chaotic Analysis of Electrochemical Noise Measured on Stainless Steel , 1995 .

[13]  J. Galvele.  Surface mobility mechanism of stress-corrosion cracking , 1993 .

[14]  M. A. Friesel,et al.  Acoustic emission from integranular subcritical crack growth , 1989, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A.

[15]  T. Marrow,et al.  In situ observation of intergranular crack nucleation in a grain boundary controlled austenitic stainless steel , 2009, Journal of microscopy.

[16]  J. Ruzzante,et al.  AE response of α-brass during stress corrosion crack propagation , 2007 .

[17]  R. C. Newman,et al.  Correlation of acoustic and electrochemical noise in the stress-corrosion cracking of α-brass , 1983 .

[18]  A. Legat,et al.  An attempt to detect SCC by combined measurements of electrochemical noise and acoustic emission , 2007 .

[19]  D. Eden.  Comment on “Electrochemical Noise Analysis of Iron Exposed to NaCl Solutions of Different Corrosivity” [J. Electrochem. Soc., 140, 2205] , 1994 .

[20]  G. Frankel,et al.  Metastable Pitting of Stainless Steel , 1987 .

[21]  R. Newman.  Developments in the slip-dissolution model of stress corrosion cracking , 1994 .

[22]  J. Galvele.  Recent developments in the surface-mobility stress-corrosion-cracking mechanism , 2000 .

[23]  P. M. Scott,et al.  The mechanism of intergranular stress corrosion cracking of sensitised austenitic stainless steel in dilute thiosulphate solution , 1992 .

[24]  A. Pollock.  Acoustic emission - 2: Acoustic emission amplitudes , 1973 .

[25]  J. Kovač,et al.  Detection of SCC by the simultaneous use of electrochemical noise and acoustic emission measurements , 2008 .

[26]  P. Withers,et al.  Full‐field strain mapping by optical correlation of micrographs acquired during deformation , 2005, Journal of microscopy.

[27]  V. S. Sastri,et al.  Electrochemical noise measurements for field applications , 1989 .

[28]  K. Trethewey.  Some observations on the current status in the understanding of stress-corrosion cracking of stainless steels , 2008 .

[29]  P. Marcus,et al.  Corrosion Mechanisms in Theory and Practice , 1995 .

[30]  G. Láng,et al.  On the reduction of ClO4− ions in the course of metal dissolution in HClO4 solutions , 2003 .

[31]  C. Loto,et al.  Electrochemical Noise Generation During Stress Corrosion Cracking of the High-Strength Aluminum AA 7075-T6 Alloy , 1989 .

[32]  P. Withers,et al.  High-resolution, in-situ, tomographic Observation of Stress Corrosion Cracking , 2007 .

[33]  W. Ludwig,et al.  Observations of Intergranular Stress Corrosion Cracking in a Grain-Mapped Polycrystal , 2008, Science.

[34]  W. Zhang,et al.  Monitoring of stress corrosion cracking of sensitised 304H stainless steel in nuclear applications by electrochemical methods and acoustic emission , 2008 .

[35]  A. Legat,et al.  Electrochemical Noise as a Possible Method for Detecting Stress-Corrosion Cracking , 1998 .

[36]  R. Newman,et al.  Stability, validity, and sensitivity to input parameters of the slip-dissolution model for stress-corrosion cracking , 2007 .

[37]  J. Ruzzante,et al.  AE response of type 304 stainless steel during stress corrosion crack propagation , 2008 .

[38]  D. Macdonald,et al.  Stress corrosion cracking of sensitized Type 304 stainless steel in thiosulphate solution. II. Dynamics of fracture , 2006 .

[39]  F. Mansfeld,et al.  Electrochemical Noise Analysis of Iron Exposed to NaCl Solutions of Different Corrosivity , 1993 .

[40]  Andraz Legat,et al.  Electrochemical noise during non-stationary corrosion processes , 2001 .

[41]  A. Legat,et al.  Detection and differentiation between cracking processes based on electrochemical and mechanical measurements , 2004 .

[42]  Russel H. Jones,et al.  Environment-induced cracking of materials , 2008 .

[43]  Andraž Legat,et al.  Detection of SCC on prestressing steel wire by the simultaneous use of electrochemical noise and acoustic emission measurements , 2007 .

[44]  J. Galvele,et al.  Stress corrosion cracking of zirconium and Zircaloy-4 in halide aqueous solutions , 2003 .

[45]  Paul McIntire,et al.  Acoustic emission testing , 1987 .

[46]  R. Cottis.  Interpretation of Electrochemical Noise Data , 2001 .

[47]  J. L. Dawson,et al.  The measurement of localized corrosion using electrochemical noise , 1981 .

[48]  K. Sieradzki,et al.  Film-induced cleavage of alpha-brass , 1989 .

[49]  Philip J. Withers,et al.  Three dimensional observations and modelling of intergranular stress corrosion cracking in austenitic stainless steel , 2005 .

[50]  Laurent Gaillet,et al.  Assessment of the stress corrosion cracking in a chloride medium of cables used in prestressed concrete structures by the acoustic emission technique , 2008 .

[51]  Alan Turnbull,et al.  Modelling of environment assisted cracking , 1993 .

[52]  A. Legat,et al.  The electrochemical noise of mild and stainless steel in various water solutions , 1993 .

[53]  T. Kondo,et al.  Current and Potential Fluctuation Characteristics in Intergranular Stress Corrosion Cracking Processes of Stainless Steels , 2000 .

[54]  H. Idrissi,et al.  Detection of stress corrosion cracking of high-strength steel used in prestressed concrete structures by acoustic emission technique , 2008 .