Interaction between molten solar salt corrosion and creep loading on the high-temperature corrosion and cracking behavior of 316L stainless steel

Creep and static immersion tests were performed in solar salt at 565 degrees C to investigate the corrosion-creep interaction on the degradation of 316L steel. The research explores the synergistic effects of stress and microstructure on molten salt corrosion behaviors, corrosion-creep cracking mechanisms. The results reveal that creep-induced microstructures in 316L steel can significantly affect the oxide structure, corrosion kinetics and morphologies. The coupling effect of creepinduced grain boundary corrosion (CIGBC) and stress-assisted grain boundary oxidation (SAGBO) triggers intergranular corrosion cracking. These results highlight the need to consider deformation effects in designing corrosion allowances for solar salt-based storage equipment.