A study of the stress factor in corrosion cracking by use of the pre-cracked cantilever beam specimen

Abstract Most high strength steels are susceptible to stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) in aqueous environments if stressed in tension, but in the general case a stress raiser is required before SCC commences. By inserting a fatigue crack in the specimen before commencing the test, SCC can be caused to initiate immediately upon application of sufficient stress. The stress at the root of the precrack can be described quantitatively by the stress intensity parameter KI and a threshold value of this required to initiate SCC is defined as KIscc. A simple test to do this is described. The results are used to predict the effect of various small surface flaws on cracking of other specimens under various stresses, and the predictions are compared with experience with a martensitic steel of the AISI 4340 type.