ISSN: 1945-7553
CODEN: JTEVAB
Page Count: 9

Determination of the Loading Rate Needed to Obtain Environmentally Assisted Cracking in Rising Load Tests

Mayville, RA
Staff Consultant, Staff Consultant, and Manager, Mechanics and Materials, Arthur D. Little, Inc., Cambridge, MA

Warren, TJ
Staff Consultant, Staff Consultant, and Manager, Mechanics and Materials, Arthur D. Little, Inc., Cambridge, MA

Hilton, PD
Staff Consultant, Staff Consultant, and Manager, Mechanics and Materials, Arthur D. Little, Inc., Cambridge, MA

(Received 27 May 1988; accepted 16 December 1988)

Abstract

A method is proposed to calculate the loading rate needed to induce environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) in precracked specimens tested under rising load. The procedure applies to materials that fracture by ductile tearing under inert conditions and requires some EAC data, although these may be obtained from one of several sources. A fundamental basis is provided to explain why the rising load test can serve as an accelerated test. Application to a medium strength steel in synthetic seawater and a pipeline steel in a carbonate/bicarbonate solution shows good results: EAC was exhibited and a close estimate of the threshold stress intensity factor for sustained load was obtained in less than one tenth the time required by conventional methods.

Keywords:
environmentally assisted cracking, stress corrosion cracking, rising load, precracked, AISI 4340, X65

Paper ID: JTE11115J
DOI: 10.1520/JTE11115J
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