Transgranular Stress Corrosion Cracking of X-80 and X-52 Pipeline Steels in Dilute Aqueous Solution with Near-Neutral pH

Slow strain rate tests (SSRT) and fractographic examination of X-80 and X-52 pipeline steels showed transgranular stress corrosion cracking (TGSCC) could occur in a dilute aqueous solution with near-neutral pH. SCC intensity increased as the applied electrochemical potential and strain rates decreased. Hydrogen precharging or addition of carbon dioxide (CO2) facilitated the process of SCC, suggesting that dissolution and hydrogen ingress were involved in the cracking process.