About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Environmentally Assisted Cracking: Theory and Practice
|
| Presentation Title |
The Role of Relative Humidity in Stress Corrosion Cracking: Linking Pit Morphology, Crack Initiation, and Propagation in SS304H |
| Author(s) |
Daria M. Bentley, Timothy Burnett, Jenifer Locke |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Daria M. Bentley |
| Abstract Scope |
Dry cask stainless steel (SS) nuclear waste storage canisters encounter a range of atmospheric conditions that influence pit formation and crack propagation. Relative humidity (RH) fluctuations alter droplet chemistry and concentration of sea salt aerosols that deliquesce onto the canister wall causing different pit morphologies to form, particularly those with internal crosshatching or external cracking at the outer edges. In this work, seawater droplets are deposited onto SS304H coupons and exposed at 35°C from 40% to 84% RH. Pit morphologies are examined with secondary electron microscopy, micro-XCT to identify pit “personalities” and beneath surface crack extension using 3D visualization software, and electron backscatter diffraction is used to determine any preferential crack paths in the microstructure at different conditions. To understand the rate of crack propagation, testing was completed in equilibrium brines using fracture mechanics samples and time to failure data was acquired using smooth tensile specimens. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Iron and Steel, Characterization, Nuclear Materials |