Part IX – September 1968 - Papers - Stress Corrosion Cracking of 18 Pct Ni Maraging Steel in Acidified Sodium Chloride Solution

Stress corrosion cracking of two heats of 18 pct Ni maraging steel in rod form immersed in an aqueous solution of 0.6N NaCl at pH 2.2 has been studied on un-notched specimens stressed in a hard tensilf machite. Austenitizing temperature in the range 1830 to 1400 F has been shown to have a marked influence on the propensity to crack, the loulest austenitizing- temperature producing the greatest resistance to failure. In the nzosl susceptible conditions, the cracks followed the original austenile grain boundaries; but when tlze steels zcere heal treated to inproze their resistance to stress corrosion, the cracks becatne appreciably less branched and slzouqed significant tendencies to become trans granular. Electron metallography of the steels indicated the presence of snzall particles, possibly of titanium carbide, along- the prior austenite grain boundaries and these particles u:ere more readily detectable in the structures that were most susceptible to cracking. Crack propagation rates, which appeared to be dependent upon applied stress and structure, were usually in tlze reg-ion of 0.5 mm per hr and may, therefore, be e.xplained on tlze basis of a purely electrochetnical ,nechanism. However, there is some ezliderzce from fractography that crack extension may be assisted by ttlechanical processes. Anodic stit)zulation reduced the tiwe to fracture, although cathodic currents of small magnitudes delayed cracking-; further increase in cathodic current resulted in a sharp drop i,n fracture litne, possibly due to the onset of hydrogen ewbrittlement. THE use of the high strength maraging steels, with their attractive fracture toughness characteristics, is restricted because of their susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking in chloride solutions. Although this limitation has resulted in investigations of the stress corrosion susceptibilities of these steels, there have been few systematic studies aimed at defining the various parameters that determine the level of susceptibility. It is the case that the usual tests have been performed with the object of defining some stress or time limit, on unnotched or precracked specimens, within which failure was not observed,' but while such results may be of some use in design considerations, they are necessarily concerned only with the steels as they currently exist and not with their improvement to render them more resistant to stress corrosion failure. This omission may be considered unfortunate because the indications are that stress corrosion in maraging steels shows dependence on structure in following an intergranular path, and since experience with other systems of intergranular stress corrosion crack- ing is that susceptibility may be varied by modifying heat treatments, a similar effect may be expected with maraging steels. It is sometimes from such observations that a fuller understanding of the mechanism of stress corrosion crack propagation begins to emerge, leading in time to the development of more resistant grades of material. The present work was undertaken to study only one aspect of the influence of heat treatment upon the cracking propensities of the 18 pct Ni maraging steel, namely the effect of austenitizing temperature, although certain ancillary measurements and experiments have been undertaken. EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES Most of the measurements were made on a steel, A, having the analysis shown below, although a few results were obtained on a steel, B, having a slightly different composition. Both steels were supplied in the austenitized condition, A as 3/8-in-diam rod and B as 1/2-in.-diam rod. Cylindrical tensile test pieces were machined from the rods: the overal length was 2 1/2 in., the gage length 1 in. and the diameter 0.128 to 0.136 in. The stress corrosion tests were carried out with the specimens strained in tension in a hard beam testing machine, the necessary total strain being applied to the specimen over a period of about 30 sec, after which the moving crosshead was locked in position and the load allowed to relax as crack propagation proceeded; the load relaxation was recorded. The load was applied after the specimen had been brought into contact with the corrosive solution, the latter being contained in a polyethylene dish having a central hole through which the specimen passed, leakage being prevented by the application of a film of rubber cement. The specimen was in contact with the solution for over half of its gage length and the solution was exposed to the air during testing. The solution was prepared from distilled and deionized water to which NaCl was added, 0.6N, and the pH adjusted to 2.2 by HCl additions. The composition of the solution