Embrittlement and anodic process in stress corrosion cracking: study of the influent micro-mechanical parameters

We study the influence of local mechanical parameters on crack propagation in Stress Corrosion Cracking, at the scale of the microstructure. Two systems are compared: the CuAl9Ni3Fe2 copper-aluminium alloy in synthetic sea water under cathodic polarization, where the crack propagation mechanism is related to strain-assisted anodic dissolution, and the 316L austenitic stainless steel in MgCl2 solution, where embrittlement mechanisms related to hydrogen effects prevail. We use micro-notched tensile specimen that allow to study isolated short cracks. These experiments are modelled by means of finite elements calculations, and further characterized by Electron Back scattered Diffraction (EBSD) in the case of the 316L alloy. In terms of the local mechanical parameters that control propagation, fundamental differences are outlined between the two systems. They are discussed from the viewpoint of the available models of Stress Corrosion Cracking. (author)