Stress corrosion cracking at low loads: Surface slip and crystallographic analysis

Highlights: • SCC could initiate and propagate without surface slip in 316 L single crystals. • The cracks possibly grew on the {1 0 0} planes. • Microcleavage and local dissolution induced SCC advance. • Microshear is an SCC microscopic mechanism under high stress levels. - Abstract: Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of 316 L single crystal was studied by scanning electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction. SCC could initiate and propagate without surface slip at the normal stress of 20 MPa. The cracks grew on the {1 0 0} planes. Many microvoids appeared at the slip bands and microsteps were present on the fracture surfaces. Consequently, the synergistic effects of microcleavage and local dissolution induced SCC advance on {1 0 0} crystal planes. Microshear was an additional SCC microscopic mechanism at high stress levels.