Abstract
Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in the structural components of light water reactors (LWRs) is inevitable as the operation times of these reactors increase. Since austenitic stainless steels and nickel-based alloys are extensively used as structural materials in nuclear reactors in Taiwan, issues of SCC on dissimilar metal weld joints are of great importance. In this investigation, Creviced Bent Beam (CBB) method was introduced to study SCC initiation and growth behavior in 304 S.S – Alloy 82 dissimilar metal weldment test samples in simulated boiling water reactor (BWR) environments. Specimens with, without post-weld heat treatments (PWHT), and received ZrO2 inhibitive protective coating (IPC) treatments were prepared and examined. Results indicated that number of cracks on coating specimens is more than without coating ones, but average length of cracks of former ones is shorter. Another results implied that pitting is a precursor of cracks