Definitions for "Stress corrosion cracking"
Deep cracking in a metal part due to the synergistic action of tensile stress and a corrosive environment, causing failure in less time than could be predicted by simply adding the effects of stress and the corrosive environment together.
As indicated by the name, stress corrosion cracking is a crack initiation, which occurs as a result of simultaneous effects of mechanical tensile load and a corrosion attack. The crack extension always takes place vertically to the tensile strength. Nearly all metallic materials are susceptible for stress corrosion cracking in specific media. In operational practice, trans-crystalline stress corrosion cracking of austenitic Cr-Ni-steel in strong alkaline or chloride-containing solutions is of special importance, because nearly all natural waters contain chlorides. Crack susceptibility increases rising chloride content, higher tensile stress and increasing temperature.
The fracture of a metal in a corrosive environment. Austenitic stainless steel belts are susceptible to a phenomenon known as "Stress Corrosion Cracking" under certain conditions.