Relationship between the structure-selective corrosion and corrosion cracking of stainless steels

It is shown that the structure-selective corrosion observed in sulfuric media, in cyclohexane-oxidation media, and in the process of carbamide production may serve as a source of initiation of corrosion cracking. In this case, fracture occurs under relatively low loads. We analyze possible scenarios of the development of this process depending on the rate of structure-selective corrosion. It is shown that corrosion cracking is especially dangerous for the devices made of bimetallic materials and operating at elevated temperatures. This can be explained by additional loading caused by the strong difference between the coefficients of linear thermal expansion of the base metal and the cladding layer.