The Pandia digester is a long cylindrical vessel which uses alkaline sulfite liquor to cook sawdust for pulping. The inlet cone was fabricated from AISI 304L stainless steel with E308 welds. Typical liquor concentration was approximately 80% NaOH, 20% Na2SO3 with chloride concentrations at 2 grams per liter. The operating pressures in the inlet cone were up to 1.2 MN/sq m (170 psig). The inlet cone had developed leaks within a year of service. Liquid penetrant inspection showed significant through-wall cracking near the fillet welds joining the bottom flange and side wall and the butt welds. Metallographic specimens were prepared from the welds to examine the microstructure and nature of the cracks. The cooking liquor at the inlet cone contained over ppm chlorides and was aggressive to 304 stainless steel. The cracking was identified as chloride-induced SCC. The inlet cone was replaced with an Inconel clad carbon steel inlet cone to combat the SCC.

One of five underground drain lines intended to carry a highly acidic effluent from a chemical-processing plant to distant holding tanks failed in just a few months. Each line was made of 304L stainless steel pipe 73 mm (2 in.) in diam with a 5 mm (0.203 in.) wall thickness. Lengths of pipe were joined by shielded metal arc welding. Soundness of the welded joints was determined by water back-pressure testing after several lengths of pipe had been installed and joined. Before completion of the pipeline, a pressure drop was observed during back-pressure testing. An extreme depression in the backfill revealed the site of failure. Analysis (visual inspection, electrical conductivity, and soil analysis) supported the conclusions that the failure had resulted from galvanic corrosion at a point where the corrosivity of the soil was substantially greater than the average, resulting in a voltage decrease near the point of failure of about 1.3 to 1.7 V. Recommendations included that the pipelines be asphalt coated and enclosed in a concrete trough with a concrete cover. Also, magnesium anodes, connected electrically to each line, should be installed at periodic intervals along their entire length to provide cathodic protection.

Several type 304L (UNS S30400) stainless steel seamless tubes in a high-pressure synthesis gas cooler condensing ammonia in a fertilizer plant leaked in an unexpectedly short time. Representative samples of the tubes were subjected to chemical analysis, hardness tests, and optical microscopy examination. The tests revealed that the tubes conformed to specification. Crack morphology indicated stress-corrosion cracking by chlorides present in the cooling water. Use of a duplex stainless steel (for example, UNS S32304 S31803) as a tube material was recommended.

This investigation involved two AISI 304L acid storage tanks and one AISI 304L spent solvent tank from a sewage treatment facility. After installation, these tanks were hydrostatically tested using sewage effluent. No leaks were found and after a year or two, the tanks were drained and filled with nitric acid in preparation for service. Three weeks later the two acid tanks were found to be leaking from the bottom. Samples from the spent solvent tank revealed that pitting was located in a depressed area near a suction hole, beneath a black residue. It was concluded that the acid tanks failed by chloride-induced pitting initiated by microbial activity. Further, the spent solvent tank failed by a similar, but anaerobic mechanism. The use of the effluent for the hydrostatic test and the failure to remove it and clean and dry the tanks was the primary cause of failure. Localized carbide segregation in the original plate served as preferential corrosion sites. Had the tanks been hydrostatically tested in a proper manner, the pitting may not have occurred.

Cracking occurred in type 304L stainless steel sheaths on nichrome wire heaters that had been in storage for about 5 years in a coastal atmosphere. The cracks were discovered when the heater coils were removed from storage in their original polyethylene packing materials and straightened for use. Fractography established that fracture occurred by stress-corrosion cracking. The cracks originated at rusted areas on the cladding that occurred under iron particles left on the surface during manufacture. High hardness values indicated that solution annealing following cold working had not been carried out as specified. It was recommended that the sheathing material be fully annealed and that the outer surface be pickled and passivated.

Several type 304L stainless steel dished ends used in the fabrication of cylindrical vessels developed extensive cracking during storage. All of the dished ends had been procured from a single manufacturer and belonged to the same batch. When examined visually, several rust marks were observed, indicating contamination by rusted carbon steel particles. Liquid penetrant testing was used to determine the extent of the cracks, and in situ metallographic analysis was performed over the cracked region. The morphology of the cracks was indicative of transgranular stress-corrosion cracking (TGSCC). Conditions promoting the occurrence of the TGSCC included significant tensile stresses on the inside of the dished ends, the presence of surface contamination by iron due to poor handling practice using carbon steel implements, and storage in a coastal environment with an average temperature of 25 to 32 deg C (77 to 90 deg F), an average humidity ranging from 70 to 80%, and an atmospheric NaCl content ranging from 8 to 45 mg/m2 /day. Recommendations preventing further occurrence of the situation were strict avoidance of the use of carbon steel handling implements, strict avoidance of cleaning practices that cause long-term exposure to chlorine-containing cleaning fluid, and solution annealing of the dished ends at 1050 deg C (1920 deg F) for 1 h followed by water quenching to relieve residual stresses.

Four tanks made from type 304L stainless steel were removed from storage. Atmospheric corrosion on the outside of the tanks and pitting and crevice corrosion on the inside were visible. Metallographic examination revealed that the internal corrosion had been caused by crevices related to weld spatter and uneven weld deposit and by service water that had not been drained after hydrostatic testing. External corrosion was attributed to improper passivation. It was recommended that the surfaces be properly passivated and that, before storage, the interiors be rinsed with demineralized water and dried.

Six cases of failure attributed to microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) were analyzed to determine if any of the failures could have been avoided or at least predicted. The failures represent a diversity of applications involving typical materials, primarily stainless steel and copper alloys, in contact with a variety of liquids, chemistries, and substances. Analytical techniques employed include stereoscopic examination, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), temperature and pH testing, and metallographic analysis. The findings indicate that MIC is frequently the result of poor operations or improper materials selection, and thus often preventable.

A heavily worked 304 stainless steel wire basket recrystallized and distorted while in service at 650 deg C (1200 deg F). This case study demonstrates that heavily cold worked austenitic stainless steel components can experience large losses in creep strength, and potentially structural collapse, under elevated temperature service, even at temperatures more than 300 deg C (540 deg F) below the normal solution annealing temperature. The creep strength of the recrystallized 304/304L steel was more than 1000 times less than that achievable with solution annealed 304H. These observations are consistent with limitations (2000 Addendum to ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code) on the use of cold worked austenitic stainless steels for elevated temperature service.

Catastrophic pitting corrosion occurred in type 304L stainless steel pipe flange assemblies in an industrial food processor. During regular service the pumped medium was pureed vegetables. In situ maintenance procedures included cleaning of the assemblies with a sodium hypochlorite solution. It was determined that the assemblies failed due to an austenite-martensite galvanic couple activated by a chlorine bearing electrolyte. The martensitic areas resulted from a transformation during cold-forming operations. Solution annealing after forming, revision of the design of the pipe flange assemblies to eliminate the forming operation, and removal of the source of chlorine were recommended.

Several mercury diffusion pump stages in the Tritium Purification process at the Savannah River Site (SRS) have been removed from service for scheduled preventive maintenance. These stages have been examined to determine if failure has occurred. Evidence of fatigue around the flange portion of the pump has been seen. In addition, erosion and cavitation inside the throat of the venturi tube and corrosion on the other surface of the venturi tube has been observed. Several measures are being examined in an attempt to improve the performance of these pumps. These measures, as well as the noted observations, are described. Six stages [two machined (MP) and four electron beam (EB) welded] from the mercury diffusion pumps operating in the Tritium Purification process at SRS have been analyzed to determine their condition after nine months of usage. Several cracks were found around the necked region of the two MP stages. The EB welded stages, however, seemed to perform better in service; only two of four stages showed cracking. The cracking is caused by fatigue that has been enhanced by high stresses and tritium in the flange area. The EB welded stage appears to be a step in the right direction. Since the EB weld is a shrink fit, the surface is in compression, thereby eliminating crack propagation. In addition, shot peening has been employed to produce a compressive material surface since fatigue usually originates at the surface. Pitting was observed down the throat of the venturi. This pitting was caused by cavitation and erosion along the length of the venturi tube. Corrosion and pitting was seen on the exterior walls of the diffuser tubes. Stress-corrosion cracks were observed emanating from these corrosion pits. The corrosion likely occurred from the chloride ions present in the process cooling water. Shot peening is now being used in an attempt to place the outside of the diffuser tube in compression to eliminate the stress-corrosion cracking.

Several large-diameter type 304L stainless steel impeller/propeller blades in a circulating water pump failed after approximately 8 months of operation. The impeller was a single casting that had been modified with a fillet weld buildup at the blade root. Visual examination indicated that the fracture originated near the blade-to-hub attachment in the area of the weld buildup. Specimens from four failed castings and from an impeller that had developed cracks prior to design modification were subjected to a complete analysis. A number of finite-element-method computer models were also constructed. It was determined that the blades failed by fatigue that had been accelerated by stress-corrosion cracking. The mechanism of failure was flow-induced vibration, in which the vortex-shedding frequencies of the blades were attuned to the natural frequency of the blade/hub configuration. A number of solutions involving material selection and impeller redesign were recommended.

This article addresses the forms of corrosion that contribute directly to the failure of metal parts or that render them susceptible to failure by some other mechanism. It describes the mechanisms of corrosive attack for specific forms of corrosion such as galvanic corrosion, uniform corrosion, pitting and crevice corrosion, intergranular corrosion, and velocity-affected corrosion. The article contains a table that lists combinations of alloys and environments subjected to selective leaching and the elements removed by leaching.

Corrosion is the electrochemical reaction of a material and its environment. This article addresses those forms of corrosion that contribute directly to the failure of metal parts or that render them susceptible to failure by some other mechanism. Various forms of corrosion covered are galvanic corrosion, uniform corrosion, pitting, crevice corrosion, intergranular corrosion, selective leaching, and velocity-affected corrosion. In particular, mechanisms of corrosive attack for specific forms of corrosion, as well as evaluation and factors contributing to these forms, are described. These reviews of corrosion forms and mechanisms are intended to assist the reader in developing an understanding of the underlying principles of corrosion; acquiring such an understanding is the first step in recognizing and analyzing corrosion-related failures and in formulating preventive measures.