Abstract
In this study, the influence of the corrosive solution temperature on the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior of the AISI 310 and AISI 316 stainless steels rolled plates using a constant load method was investigated. For the AISI 316, the relationship between the time to failure and the test temperature fell into a linear function for the temperatures from 143 to 152 °C and an exponential function for the temperatures from 132 to 143 °C. These regions are considered to correspond to a SCC-dominated region and a hydrogen embrittlement-dominated region. Microstructural analyses showed that in the SCC-dominated region the fracture mode was transgranular, but it was intergranular in the hydrogen embrittlement-dominated region. For the AISI 310 steel, the relationship between the time to failure and the test temperature fell into a linear function for the temperatures from 132 to 152 °C. The fracture mode was transgranular for all temperatures, which strongly indicated that this steel showed SCC only.

Key words
stress corrosion cracking, temperature, austenitic stainless steels

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