Effect of Oxide Film Mechanical Property on Stress Corrosion Cracking Growth Rate

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of austenitic stainless steel and nickel-based alloys in high temperature water is one of the key issues for the structural safety and service life of nuclear power plant. The mechanical properties of oxide film would be changed due to the water environment and metal at the crack tip, which have been observed in laboratory stress corrosion cracking tests. The crack growth rate is affected by the deformation-oxidation process of oxide film in SCC tip. In other word, the crack growth rate is also influenced by the mechanical properties of oxide film. To understand the mechanical state at crack tip accurately, the meso-scale stress-strain on the crack tip is analyzed using finite element software ABAQUS. The effect of oxide film mechanical property on stress-strain field at the tip of the SCC is analyzed, which provides a new insight into the research of the mechanism of SCC growth in structural materials in high temperature water environments.