Effect of acetic acids on the corrosion crack growth of 3.5NiCrMoV steels in high temperature water: synergistic interaction between stress corrosion and corrosion fatigue

Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) tests (pH: 3 ∼ 5) and Corrosion Fatigue (CF) tests (R = 0.2, 0.1Hz) were conducted to evaluate the effect of acetic acid on the corrosion crack growth behavior in high temperature water at 150◦C. Acetic acid significantly influenced the corrosion fatigue cracking behavior of turbine disc steels in high temperature water. The CF crack growth rates of turbine disc steels increase until the organic acid concentration reaches a critical saturation value (between pH 4 and pH 3) because of the crack tip sharpening. Below the critical value of pH, the CF crack growth rates decreases because of the crack tip blunting. The corrosion fatigue crack growth rate is accelerated by the interaction of the fatigue and the stress corrosion in the test environment. The synergistic interaction should be accounted for in the realistic prediction of the corrosion fatigue life of turbine steel (3.5NiCrMoV steels) in high temperature water of acetic acid solution. With the high temperature corrosion fatigue data obtained in this study, it is possible to assess the life of turbine components in high temperature and high pressure.