STRESS-CORROSION CRACKING OF AUSTENITIC STAINLESS-STEEL IN AN ACIDIFIED CHLORIDE SOLUTION

Critical electrochemical parameters and their relation to SCC were examined in untransformed 301 stainless steel in an acidified concentrated NaCl plus Na//2SO//4 solution. Several parameters must match or closely approach each other for SCC to occur, dependent upon the degree of occlusion of a cell. These parameters are the critical cracking potential, the repassivation potential, the potential at which the current reverses, and the critical crevice potential.