• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1998.10a
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• pp.241-241
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• 1998

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.19-28
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• 1997

This study was made of the effect of cold working on the stress corrosion cracking(SCC) of austenitlc 304 stainless steel in boiling 42% $MgCl_2$ solution. For this experiment, specimens cold-worked of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% were fabricated respectively, and then experiments of mechanical properties and stress corrosion cracking(SCC) of these specimens were carried out. The results of these experiments indicate that the maximum resistance to SCC showed at 20% of cold working degree and that the SCC susceptibility depended on the volume fraction of deformation-induced martensite by cold working and the work hardening of matrix. On the other hand, the fracture mode was changed. This phenomenon was considered that deformation-induced martensite was grown from transgranular fracture mode to intergranular fracture mode and caused by increased of dislocation density along the slip planes.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.73-80
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• 2013

The primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) of Alloy 600 in a PWR has been reported in the control rod drive mechanism (CRDM), pressurizer instrumentation, and the pressurizer heater sleeves. Recently, two cases of boric acid precipitation that indicated leaking of the primary cooling water were reported on the bottom head surface of steam generators (SG) in Korea. The PWSCC resistance of Ni base alloys which have intergranular carbides is higher than those which have intragranular carbides. Conversely, in oxidized acidic solutions like sodium sulfate or sodium tetrathionate solutions, the Ni base alloys with a lot of carbides at the grain boundaries and shows less stress corrosion cracking (SCC) resistance. The role of grain boundary carbides in SCC behavior of Ni base alloys was evaluated and effect of intergranular carbides on the SCC susceptibility were reviewed from the literature.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.37-42
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• 2020

Even though 304 low-carbon (304L) stainless steel was developed to enhance the resistance to intergranular corrosion and stress corrosion cracking, it is occasionally subject to degradation in harsh environments. The degree of sensitization (DOS) of 304L stainless steel was studied as a function of sensitization using a double-loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation (DL-EPR) method. Sensitizing heat treatment was performed in an Ar atmosphere at 500℃, 600℃, and 700℃, with heat treatment times varying from 0 to 96 h. DOS was measured by the ratio of the peak current density value of the forward scan to that of the reverse scan. After the EPR experiment, the specimen surface was observed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The DOS of the specimens heat-treated at 600℃ increased with heat treatment times up to 48 h and then decreased due to a self healing effect. The DOS was higher in specimens heat-treated at 600℃ than those at 500℃ or 700℃. Corrosion of the sensitized specimens occurred mainly at the δ-γ phase boundary. The corrosion morphology at the δ-γ phase boundary changed with sensitizing heat-treatment conditions due to differences in chromium activity in γ austenite and δ ferrite.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 2018

This article reviews the multiscale nature of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) observed by high-resolution characterizations in austenite stainless steels and Ni-base superalloys in light water reactors (including boiling water reactors, pressurized water reactors, and supercritical water reactors) with related opinions. A new statistical summary and comparison of observed degradation phenomena at different length scales is included. The intrinsic causes of this multiscale nature of SCC are discussed based on existing evidence and related opinions, ranging from materials theory to practical processing technologies. Questions of interest are then discussed to improve bottom-up understanding of the intrinsic causes. Last, a multiscale modeling and simulation methodology is proposed as a promising interdisciplinary solution to understand the intrinsic causes of the multiscale nature of SCC in light water reactors, based on a review of related supporting application evidence.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.6-11
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• 2018

Outdoor exposure tests using of 7B04 aluminium alloy samples including plate, tensile and various SCC samples were carried out in Tuandao station, Shandong province (East of China) and Wanning station, Hainan province (South of China). Corrosion characteristics including weight loss, microstructure, tensile strength and SCC susceptibility were investigated. The corrosion rates in Tuandao and Wanning showed high to low and the corrosion rates changed to the following equation of $w=at^b$ (b<1). The corrosion of 7B04 aluminium alloy in Wanning was more serious than that in Tuandao. Pitting appeared at early stage of expose test, and it can be changed to general corrosion with test time extension. The 7B04 aluminium alloy of which specimen shapes are forging and thick plate also showed SCC (Stress corrosion cracking) in the marine atmosphere. The higher SCC sensitivity was observed in Wanning station than in Tuandao station. The 7B04 aluminium alloy with a high stress level was more sensitive to SCC. Intergranular and transgranular or a mixed mode of cracking can be observed in different marine exposure.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.7
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• pp.2304-2311
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• 2021

The dislocation density in strain-hardened Alloy 690 was analyzed using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) to study the relationship between the local plastic strain and susceptibility to primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) in nuclear power plants. The test material was cold-rolled at various thickness reduction ratios from 10% to 40% to simulate the strain-hardening condition of plant components. The dislocation densities were measured at grain boundaries (GB) and in grain interiors of strain-hardened specimens from STEM images. The dislocation density in the grain interior monotonically increased as the strain-hardening proceeded, while the dislocation density at the GB increased with strain-hardening up to 20% but slightly decreases upon further deformation to 40%. The decreased dislocation density at the GB was attributed to the formation of deformation twins. After the PWSCC growth test of strain-hardened Alloy 690, the fraction of intergranular (IG) fracture was obtained from fractography. In contrast to the change in the dislocation density with strain-hardening, the fraction of IG fracture increased remarkably when strain-hardened over 20%. From the results, it was suggested that the PWSCC growth behavior of strain-hardened Alloy 690 not only depends on the dislocation density, but also on the microstructural defects at the GB.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1996.05c
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• pp.145-150
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• 1996

Acoustic Emission (AE) technique was applied to stress corrosion cracking of Inconel 600 to investigate the AE capability of detecting crack growth and to obtain the relation between AE characteristics and crack mechanism. The specimens were heat-treated in two conditions (600$^{\circ}C$ for 30 hrs or 700 $^{\circ}C$ for 1 hr) and undergone CERT at two extension rates ( 2.5${\times}$10$^{-5}$ or 1.25${\times}$10$^{－4}$(mm/s)). It was found that the AE peak amplitude from plastic deformation was generally smaller than about 48dB (0.25mV), while Intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) and ductile fracture produced higher values of 49 to 70dB (0.3mV to 3mV). The slopes of cumulative amplitude distribution (b-values) were linearly dependent on IGSCC susceptibility and the higher the susceptibility, the smaller the b-value. The monitoring of combined AE parameters such as event rate, amplitude, count and energy can provide effective means to clearly identify the transition from crack initiation and small crack growth to rapid growth of dominant cracks.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.1381-1389
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• 2019

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) widely found in both primary and secondary sides of steam generator (SG) tubing in pressurized water reactors (PWR) has become an important safety issue. Using eddy-current tests (ECTs), non-destructive evaluations are performed for the integrity management of SG tubes against intergranular SCC. To enhance the reliability of ECT, this study investigates the effects of oxide films on ECT's detection capabilities for SCC in laboratory-degraded SG tubing in high temperature and high pressure aqueous environment.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.138-145
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• 2020

Immersion tests of Alloy 600 were conducted in simulated primary water environments of a pressurized water reactor at 325 ℃ for 10, 100, and 1000 h to obtain insight into effects of surface deformation on internal and intergranular (IG) oxidation behavior through precise characterization using various microscopic equipment. Oxidized samples after immersion tests were covered with polyhedral and filamentous oxides. It was found that oxides were abundant in mechanically ground (MG) samples the most. The number density of surface oxides increased with time irrespective of the method of surface finish. IG oxidation occurred in mechanically polished (MP) and chemically polished (CP) samples with thin internal oxidation layers. However, IG oxidation was suppressed with relatively thick internal oxidation layers in MG samples compared to MP and CP samples, suggesting that MG treatment could increase resistance to primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) from the standpoint of IG oxidation. As a result, appropriate surface treatment for Alloy 600 could prevent oxygen diffusion into grain boundaries, inhibit IG oxidation, and finally induce its high PWSCC resistance.