CORROSION ENGINEERING SECTION

Susceptibility to Stress Corrosion Cracking

for Low-Carbon Steel Welds in CarbonateBicarbonate Solution
H. Mitsui,,* R. Takahashi,** H. Asano,** N. Taniguchi,*** and M. Yui***

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION

The susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of the

weld zone of carbon steel overpack, a candidate container
for geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste, was
studied using the slow strain rate testing (SSRT) technique.
Several welding processes were applied to low-carbon steel,
and SCC susceptibility of the weld zone, which consists of
weld metal, weld interface, and heat-affected zone (HAZ),
was compared with that of the base metal. The test results
indicated that SCC behavior of low-carbon steel weld was
strongly dependent on microstructure, while SCC in the base
metal, which consists of ferrite and pearlite, mainly propagated along ferrite-ferrite or ferrite-pearlite boundaries.
However, crack morphology in the weld zone, made up of negrained microstructure, was more complicated; the average
crack growth rate in the weld zone was less than that of the
base metal. SCC propagation was thought to be suppressed
by the ne grain size and/or redistribution of cementite (iron
carbide [Fe3C]) along the crack path, and welding processes
were found to have no signicant inuence on SCC susceptibility of low-carbon steel.

Carbon steel is one of the candidate materials for the

overpack to be used to isolate high-level radioactive
waste from the surrounding groundwater in deep geological disposal sites. According to the basic concept
of the Japanese geological disposal system,1 the overpack will be welded with a large groove depth for the
nal closure, to contain the radioactive waste over its
1,000-year lifetime, a lifetime that corresponds to the
decay time of short-lived radionuclides. Since the performance of the overpack depends on the properties of
the weld zone as well as those of the base metal, the
inuence of welding on the integrity of the overpack
must be considered.
The authors have studied several welding processes for the overpack lid closure from the viewpoint
of mechanical properties, including strength, toughness, distribution of weld aws, and residual stress.
To ensure the long-term integrity of the lid closure,
the weld zone corrosion behavior must be evaluated,
although the inuence of the welding process on the
overpack corrosion behavior in the geological disposal
environment has not yet been examined sufciently.
Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) susceptibility
of the weld zone is important for overpack reliability
since residual stress and strain is induced near the
weld zone during the welding process.2-4 In the H12
report1 issued by the Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC, now JAEA), carbon steel is not
thought to be susceptible to SCC in the groundwater of the representative geological disposal environment because of the low concentration of the chemical

KEY WORDS: carbonate-bicarbonate solution, carbon steel,

geological disposal, high-level radioactive waste, microstructure, overpack, stress corrosion cracking, weld
Submitted for publication December 2007; in revised form June
2008.
Corresponding author. E-mail: hiroyuki_mitsui@mhi.co.jp.
* Radioactive Waste Management Funding and Research Center
(RWMC), 1-15-7, Tsukishima, Chuo-ku Tokyo 104-0052, Japan.
Present address: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Takasago
R&D Center, 2-1-1 Shinhama, Arai-cho, Takasago, 676-8686,
Japan.
** Radioactive Waste Management Funding and Research Center
(RWMC), 1-15-7, Tsukishima, Chuo-ku Tokyo 104-0052, Japan.
*** Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), Tokai-mura, Ibaraki, 3191194, Japan.

CORROSIONVol. 64, No. 12

0010-9312/08/000169/$5.00+$0.50/0
2008, NACE International

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CORROSION ENGINEERING SECTION

TABLE 1
Welding Parameters

Groove depth (mm)

Welding position
Shield gas
Welding current (A)(A)
Voltage (V)
Travel speed (cm/min)
Layer
Number of weld passes
Energy input (kJ/cm)
Welding time (h)
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

TIG (GTAW)

MAG (GMAW)

EBW

190
Horizontal
Ar
100 to 300
11.0 to 13.5(C)
5.7 to 11.7
38
54
23 to 90
24.5

190
Flat
Ar-20% CO2
350
34 to 36(C)
28
20
40
51 to 54
2.4

100
Horizontal

0.6(B)
100 000(D)
25
1
1
144
0.13

Base current.
Beam current.
Arc voltage.
Accelerating voltage.

TABLE 2
Chemical Composition (wt%)
C

Si

Mn

Cu

Cr

Mo

TIG

Weld metal
Base metal(A)
Filler metal(C)

0.11
0.15
0.10

0.67
0.19
0.73

1.29
0.36
1.40

0.009
0.006
0.011

0.011
0.002
0.014

0.25
0.01
0.24

0.02
0.05
0.03

<0.01
0.01

MAG

Weld metal
Base metal(B)
Filler metal(C)

0.082
0.11
0.10

0.58
0.25
0.76

1.07
0.65
1.37

0.010
0.007
0.010

0.014
0.002
0.014

0.20
0.05
0.24

0.03
0.04

<0.01
0.01

EBW

Weld metal
Base metal(B)

0.11
0.12

0.25
0.25

0.70
0.65

0.011
0.012

0.003
0.004

0.05
0.05

0.11
0.11

0.02
0.02

Heat treatment of base metal:

(A)
910C 2 h air-cooling.
(B)
900C 10.5 h air-cooling + 600C 5 h furnace-cooling.
(C)
TIG and MAG welding were carried out with the addition of filler metal.

species that promote SCC. On the other hand, it was

also reported that certain heat treatments can alter
the microstructure, resulting in changes in the SCC
behavior of low-carbon steel in carbonate-bicarbonate solutions.5 The effect of microstructure on carbon
steel SCC behavior has been reported by other investigators as well,6-7 but more detailed investigation is
needed to evaluate SCC behavior, taking disposal conditions into consideration. SCC susceptibility of the
weld zone might differ from that of the base metal
since the weld zone has experienced welding heat
input. In this study, SCC susceptibility of specimens
fabricated by several welding processes appropriate
for the carbon steel overpack was examined to clarify
the inuence of welding.

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
Material Preparation and Properties
Tungsten inert gas welding (TIG; also known as
gas tungsten arc welding, GTAW), metal active gas
welding (MAG; also known as gas metal arc welding, GMAW), and electron beam welding (EBW) were
applied to a low-carbon steel, cylindrical specimen

940

with an outside diameter (OD) of about 640 mm.

The details of the welding processes and chemical
compositions of the specimens are summarized in
Tables 1 and 2. These welding conditions were carefully selected from the viewpoint of application to fullscale overpack lid closure.2-4 The test results indicated
that it is possible with TIG and MAG to achieve large
groove depth welding without signicant weld aws,
and that EBW can also be applied to the overpack
lid closure if the penetration depth and the welding
conditions of the overpack are suitable. The chemical composition of the weld metal for TIG and MAG
was different from that of the base metal because
ller wires were used in these welding methods, but
the weld and base metals in EBW, an autogenous (no
ller required) process, had nearly identical chemical
compositions. Figure 1 shows macroscopic observation of the weld zones after etching. The weld metals
in TIG and MAG have the typical macroscopic structures of a multi-layer process, an appearance that is
more complicated than in the single-pass process of
EBW. No signicant weld aws were found through
visual inspection or macroscopic examination of the
specimens before the SCC tests.

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Results of the metallographic microstructure

examination for as-welded specimens are summarized
in Table 3.8-9 Ferrite-pearlite microstructure typical of
normalized, low-carbon steel was observed in the base
metal, the grain size of which was larger in TIG than
in MAG and EBW. The weld metal was composed
mainly of ne-grained ferrite microstructure. At the
as-deposited weld metal, grain boundary ferrite and
ferrite side plate were formed along prior austenite
grain boundaries. In contrast to TIG and MAG, upper
bainite rather than acicular ferrite was found in the
weld metal for EBW, most likely the result of the formation of oxide inclusions that support nucleation of
acicular ferrite being suppressed by EBW welding
under vacuum conditions. At the reheated zone for
TIG and MAG, ne-grained ferrite-pearlite microstructure was formed by recrystallization of as-deposited
weld metal. The microstructure of the heat-affected
zone (HAZ) was somewhat different on the weld metal
and base metal sides. The main composition of both
was ne-grained ferrite and pearlite, although bainitic
ferrite and degenerated pearlite in TIG and MAG and
upper bainite in EBW were also found near the weld
metal in HAZ. No martensite or other hard phase such
as lower bainite was found in any of the specimens.

(a)

Stress Corrosion Cracking Test Specimens

Figure 2 shows the geometry of the SCC test
specimens. Uniaxial tensile specimens were prepared
from as-welded material, and specimens were machined from the base metal, HAZ, and weld metal
(types I, II, and III, respectively). To examine susceptibility to SCC near the weld interface, specimens whose
gauge sections included the base metal and the weld
zone were also machined (type IV). All specimens were
ground with 800-grade silicon carbide (SiC) paper and
ultrasonically degreased with acetone (CH3COCH3).

(b)

Stress Corrosion Cracking Testing

Slow strain rate testing (SSRT) was conducted in
a sodium bicarbonate (1 M NaHCO3)-sodium carbonate (0.5 M Na2CO3) solution at 80C under potentiostatic control. Carbon steel is not susceptible to SCC
under the carbonate concentration of the disposal
environment. To compare SCC propagation behavior
of the base metal and weld zone, highly concentrated
carbonate solution that is known to promote SCC of
carbon steel was used in this study. Approximately
500 mL of a test solution prepared from analyticalgrade reagents and deionized water was used for each
test. A uniaxial tensile test machine equipped with
an electrochemical cell consisting of glass, polytetrauoroethylene (PTFE), and silicone rubber was used
as the SCC test apparatus, and saturated calomel
electrode (SCE) along with a bridge tube lled with
test solution and a platinized Ti counter electrode
were attached to the cell to control the potential of
the specimens. The applied potential of the SCC test

CORROSIONVol. 64, No. 12

(c)
FIGURE 1. Macrostructures of a cross section of the weld zone: (a)
TIG, (b) MAG, and (c) EBW.

ranged from 700 mVSCE to 625 mVSCE, corresponding to the active-passive transition zone of anodic
polarization curves. Figure 3 shows potentiodynamic
polarization curves for TIG and EBW specimens;
polarization curves for MAG specimens were similar to
those in Figure 3. All potential values are given with

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CORROSION ENGINEERING SECTION

TABLE 3
Results of Metallographic Examination for As-Welded Specimens
TIG

MAG

EBW

Ferrite
(GBF, AF, FSP)

Ferrte
(GBF, AF, FSP)

Ferrite (GBF, FSP),

upper bainite

Ferrite,
pearlite

Ferrite
pearlite

HAZ
near weld metal

Ferrite (GBF, FSP),

bainitic ferrite,
pearlite,
degenerated pearlite

Ferrite (GBF, FSP)

bainitic ferrite,
pearlite,
degenerated pearlite

Ferrite (GBF, FSP),

upper bainite,
pearlite

HAZ
near base metal

Ferrite (PF),
pearlite

Ferrite (PF),
pearlite

Ferrite (PF),
pearlite

Base metal

Ferrite (PF),
pearlite

Ferrite (PF),
pearlite

Ferrite (PF),
pearlite

Weld metal
as-deposited zone
Weld metal
reheated zone

PF: Polygonal ferrite, FSP: ferrite side plate, AF: acicular ferrite, GBF: grain boundary ferrite.

(a)

respect to SCE at ambient temperature. Based on previous research,10 specimens were strained at a constant strain rate of 8.3 107 s1. Slow strain rate tests
with silicone oil as a heat transfer medium were also
carried out at the same temperature and strain rate to
compare behavior in an inert environment.
After testing was completed, the specimens were
descaled by cathodic electrolysis in ammonium citrate
(C6H14N2O7) solution and the fracture surfaces were
observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Cross-sectional microscopic observation was also performed to examine the relationship between fracture
morphology and microstructure.

RESULTS

(b)

(c)
FIGURE 2. Test specimen geometry: (a) orientation and location of
test specimens on as-welded material, (b) test specimen dimensions,
and (c) weld zone locations on the test specimens (type VI).

942

Typical examples of stress-strain curves in the

slow strain rate test are shown in Figure 4. The ductility of the base metal was strongly dependent on the
applied potential. The strain to failure in a carbonatebicarbonate solution was lower than that in silicone
oil, and lowest at 675 mV. Figure 5 shows the relationship between the strain-to-failure ratio (solution/oil)
and applied potential. The TIG specimen examined at
675 mV showed the lowest ductility, irrespective of
base metal or weld zone, although the reduction of the
strain-to-failure ratio for the weld zone was not significant in comparison with the base metal at this potential. Similar results were obtained in the SCC tests for
MAG and EBW specimens.9 The specic potential at
which the lowest ductility was seen was generally in
agreement with that reported in other literature.5,11-12
This potential seemed to be less dependent on the
material properties, such as chemical composition
and microstructure, under the same test solution and
temperature conditions.
A comparison of the stress-strain curves for different TIG specimens at 675 mV, corresponding to

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CORROSION ENGINEERING SECTION

(a)

(b)

FIGURE 3. Potentiodynamic polarization curves (1 M NaHCO3-0.5 M Na2CO3 solution, 80C, 20 mV/min): (a) TIG specimen
and (b) EBW specimen.

FIGURE 4. Stress-strain curves for TIG base metal specimens

(0.5 M NaHCO3-1 M Na2CO3 solution or silicone oil, 80C, strain rate
of 8.3 107 s1).

where the lowest ductility was seen, is shown in Figure 6. In general, the stress applied to HAZ and the
weld metal was much higher than that applied to the
base metal during SCC testing because of the higher
yield strength of the weld zone. The strain to failure
of HAZ and the weld metal was, however, larger than
that of the base metal, regardless of the welding
method. These results suggest that both the HAZ and
weld metal specimens were examined under more
severe SCC conditions than the base metal specimens.
The specimens composed of both base metal and weld
zone in the gauge section (type IV) had higher maximum stress and lower strain to failure than the base
metal specimen. All type IV specimens ruptured at the
base metal with no cracking in the weld zone, no matter which welding method was used.9
Figure 7 shows SEM observation of the fracture
surface for the TIG base metal specimen after SCC
testing in the test solution. The brittle area surrounding a ductile area on the fracture surface was assumed
to be promoted by SCC, since the fracture surfaces of
all specimens were fully ductile in silicone oil. The

CORROSIONVol. 64, No. 12

FIGURE 5. Relationship between strain ratio (sol/oil) and potential

for TIG specimens (1 M NaHCO3-0.5 M Na2CO3 solution, 80C,
strain rate of 8.3 107 s1).

FIGURE 6. Stress-strain curves for TIG specimens (0.5 M NaHCO31 M Na2CO3 solution, 675 mV, 80C, strain rate of 8.3 107 s1).

SCC morphology of the fracture surface seen in the

base metal was intergranular mode (Figures 7[a] and
[b]), whereas that of the weld zone was so ne that it
was difcult to determine the fracture mode (Figures
7[f] and [g]). For the HAZ specimens, the morphologies

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CORROSION ENGINEERING SECTION

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)

(g)
FIGURE 7. SEM photograph of TIG specimen fracture surface after SCC test (1 M NaHCO3-0.5 M Na2CO3 solution, 80C,
strain rate of 8.3 107 s1, 675 mVSCE). (a) Base metal specimen, (b) magnified view of (a), (c) HAZ specimen, (d) magnified
view of (c) base metal side, (e) magnified view of (c) weld metal side, (f) weld metal specimen, and (g) magnified view of (f).

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of the base metal and weld metal sides were somewhat different (Figures 7[c], [d], and [e]). Similar
results were obtained with the EBW and MAG specimens.9 The crack depth on the fracture surface differed with the type of specimen. Figure 8 shows the
relationship between the applied potential and the
average crack growth rate (CGR) for TIG specimens.
The average CGR in this study was calculated by the
crack depth on the fracture surface seen in SEM observation and the time interval from the yield point to
failure of the specimen. It was found that the most severe SCC occurred at a potential of about 675 mV in
all specimens. At this potential, the order of the specimens in terms of decreasing maximum crack depth
or CGR was base metal, weld metal, HAZ near base
metal, and HAZ near weld metal. The CGR for specimens with different welding methods is summarized
in Figure 9. The CGR of the weld zone was less than
that of base metal, irrespective of the welding method.
Cross-sectional images of the cracks near the
fracture surface are shown in Figure 10. It can be
seen that SCC morphology was strongly dependent on
the microstructure. For the base metal, which has a
typical ferrite-pearlite microstructure, intergranular
SCC propagated along both the ferrite-ferrite and the
ferrite-pearlite boundaries (Figure 10[a]). Propagation
of some cracks seemed to stop at the pearlite (Figure
10[b]). In contrast to the base metal, the crack morphology in the weld zone was more complicated.
Metallographic cross-sectional observation of HAZ
showed that redistribution or dispersion of pearlite
near the weld metal occurred with welding heat input
(Figures 10[c] through [f]). It is noteworthy that SCC
propagation tended to avoid pearlite or pearlite-dispersed regions and seemed to propagate along ferriteferrite boundaries rather than ferrite-pearlite
boundaries in the HAZ (Figures 10[e] and [f]). The
weld metal was composed of a very ne-grained
microstructure of ferrite and pearlite (Table 3, Figures
10[g] and [h]). The cross-sectional images showed that
the weld metal specimens ruptured at the as-deposited zone or the intermediate zone between as-deposited and reheated zones. Many cracks appeared on
the surface of the specimens, although in general,
they were shallow and slight. The weld metal microstructure was so ne and complicated that it is difcult to characterize denitively the SCC morphology;
crack paths seemed to be transgranular or a mixture
of intergranular and transgranular, because some of
the straight cracking propagated through the matrix,
regardless of the ferrite microstructure shape or direction (Figure 10[h]). No preferential cracking was
observed at the prior austenite grain boundaries, which
were found in the HAZ and weld metal specimens.
In comparison with specimens consisting of similar microstructures, the features of SCC morphology
in the MAG and EBW specimens were generally similar to those of the TIG specimens. The crack depths

CORROSIONVol. 64, No. 12

FIGURE 8. Relationship between crack growth rate and potential for

TIG specimens (1 M NaHCO3-0.5 M Na2CO3 solution, 80C, strain
rate of 8.3 107 s1).

FIGURE 9. Crack growth rate of different types of specimens with

different welding methods (1 M NaHCO3-0.5 M Na2CO3 solution,
80C, strain rate of 8.3 107 s1, 675 mVSCE).

of the base metal in MAG and EBW were relatively

shallow (Figure 11), suggesting that SCC propagation
was suppressed by the ne-grained microstructure.
For the EBW specimen, ferrite and pearlite along with
upper bainite were contained in the HAZ and weld
metal. However, no signicant SCC susceptibility in
upper bainite was conrmed in this study.
For the type IV specimen, intergranular SCC was
observed at the base metal region in the gauge section. Neither intergranular nor transgranular cracking
was found in HAZ, weld metal, or weld interface, in
contrast to the base metal.

DISCUSSION
It was shown by slow strain rate SCC testing that
both the base metal and weld zone were susceptible to
SCC in a 1.5-M carbonate-bicarbonate solution, and
that the potentials at which the lowest ductility was
seen were nearly identical, regardless of welding
method (TIG, MAG, or EBW) or sampling location
(base metal, HAZ, or weld metal). Parkins13-14 indicated
that the potential range for SCC of carbon steel in the

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CORROSION ENGINEERING SECTION

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)

(g)

(h)
FIGURE 10. Cross-sectional micrograph of crack near fracture surface of TIG specimen after SCC test (1 M NaHCO30.5 M Na2CO3 solution, 80C, strain rate of 8.3 107 s1, 675 mVSCE): (a), (b) base metal; (c), (d) HAZ near the base metal;
(e), (f) HAZ near the weld metal; and (g), (h) weld metal.

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carbonate-bicarbonate solution coincides with the

active-passive transition zone of anodic polarization
curves, and suggested that passivation lm rupture
and anodic dissolution play important roles in carbon
steel SCC. Here, no remarkable difference was seen in
active-passive transition behavior in the anodic polarization curves obtained for the base metal, HAZ, and
weld metal (Figure 3). It is assumed that the differences in specimen microstructure and chemical composition do not strongly inuence the potential at
which lm rupture and anodic dissolution occur in a
concentrated carbonate-bicarbonate solution, since
the highest susceptibility to SCC appeared at the specic potential of 675 mV, regardless of specimen type.
On the other hand, the SCC test also showed that
the weld zone strain-to-failure ratio, maximum crack
depth, and CGR were lower than those of the base
metal, despite the higher yield and tensile stress of
the weld zone specimens. For the type IV specimens,
which included both base metal and weld zone in the
gauge section, no SCC was found around the weld
zone, in contrast to the base metal where severe SCC
occurred. From these results, it can be concluded
that the weld zone is less susceptible to SCC than the
base metal, no matter which welding method is used.
Since SCC morphology was strongly dependent on the
microstructure, the metallographic features of specimens seem to have an inuence on SCC propagation,
with carbon steel SCC tending to propagate along
grain boundaries, as shown in laboratory experiments
and eld investigations.9,15 However, in practice, it is
possible that changes in microstructure result in disturbances in SCC propagation paths and in changes
in SCC morphology. SCC morphology and propagation
paths in specimen weld zones are more complicated
than those of the base metal due to the ne-grained
microstructure. SCC propagation through the complicated microstructure is assumed to require greater
energy, consequently changing SCC morphology and
suppressing propagation.
The cross-sectional images of the HAZ specimen after SCC testing showed that crack paths seem
to avoid pearlite or pearlite-rich regions. As shown in
Figures 10(e) and (f), SCC propagated around pearlite-rich regions in HAZ, which has a ne-grained
microstructure of ferrite and distributed ne pearlite. These pearlite-rich zones, which seemed to form
where coarse pearlite existed in the base metal before
welding, are assumed to be less susceptible to SCC.
In addition, SCC was found to propagate along ferrite-ferrite boundaries rather than ferrite-pearlite
boundaries. Similar results were obtained for the base
metal (Figure 10[b]) and were obtained in other studies.16 Since SCC susceptibility of low-carbon steel in
the carbonate-bicarbonate solution increases with
decreasing carbon content,12 it is assumed that pearlite or cementite reduces susceptibility to SCC. In
the weld zone, cementite or ne pearlite was found

CORROSIONVol. 64, No. 12

(a)

(b)
FIGURE 11. Cross-sectional micrograph of crack near fracture
surface of EBW specimen after SCC test (1 M NaHCO3-0.5 M
Na2CO3 solution, 80C, strain rate of 8.3 107 s1, 675 mVSCE): (a),
(b) base metal.

at the grain boundaries, a result of the decomposition of pearlite in the base metal caused by the rapid
heat cycle from the weld heat input, suggesting that
redistribution of cementite in specic regions or grain
boundaries has a signicant effect on SCC propagation. Cementite localization may affect electrochemical
behavior, microplastic deformation, and local stress
eld in regions adjacent to grain boundaries. Crack
propagation in the weld zone is thought to have been
suppressed by the ne microstructure along with
redistribution of cementite in the crack paths.
The weld zone microstructure was complicated,
containing not only ferrite and pearlite but also
bainitic ferrite and upper bainite. However, no preferential cracking was observed in the bainitic ferrite or upper bainite. Asahi, et al.,7 studied the effect
of metallurgical factors on SCC of low-carbon steel
in carbonate-bicarbonate solution, and revealed that
a bainitic ferrite structure is less susceptible to SCC
than a ferrite-pearlite structure, which seems to suggest that formation of a bainitic structure does not
promote SCC susceptibility.

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CORROSION ENGINEERING SECTION

The weld zone microstructure is dependent on the

properties of the base metal and the weld process. Examination of metallographic microstructure from the
viewpoint of SCC susceptibility is important to evaluate reliability for actual overpack welding, especially
when the type of steel or welding process is changed.
Considering the inuence of welding on SCC
behavior of material, weld residual strain may
increase susceptibility to SCC. In this study, however,
the inuence of weld residual strain did not seem to
be signicant because of the following reasons:
Specimens whose gauge section includes base
metal and weld zone (type IV) were ruptured at
the base metal without cracking at weld zone.
All specimens were tested under quite high
stress and strain of SSRT, which probably
overwhelmed weld residual stress and strain,
although the weld zone specimens did not show
higher SCC susceptibility than base metal at
the most sensitive potential of 675 mV.
In this study, no detrimental inuence of the
welding processes on SCC susceptibility has been
found by SSRT. It is anticipated that the results of
SSRT is conservative, since the SCC susceptibility of
weld zone was lower than that of base metal, in spite
of the higher tensile stress of weld zone specimens.
Although, it should also be considered that SSRT is a
quite aggressive technique and that SCC mechanisms
involve complexities. The SCC susceptibility of the
weld zone, where residual stress is induced, should
be considered carefully to ensure the reliability of the
overpack. Another test method such as constant load
test or crack growth test may be helpful for understanding SCC behavior of the weld zone.

CONCLUSIONS
The inuence of welding on SCC susceptibility for
carbon steel in a carbonate-bicarbonate solution was
studied. SSRT was applied to low-carbon steel specimens welded by processes for HLW overpack. SCC
test results showed that the base metal and weld
zone were susceptible to SCC in a 1.5-M carbonatebicarbonate solution and that the potentials at which
the lowest ductility was seen were nearly identical,
regardless of welding method (TIG, EBW, or MAG) or
sampling location (base metal, HAZ, or weld metal).
SCC morphology was strongly dependent on the
microstructure of the specimens. In the base metal,
which consists of a typical ferrite-pearlite microstructure, SCC mainly propagated along ferrite-ferrite or
ferrite-pearlite boundaries. The SCC morphology of
the weld zone, which has a ne microstructure, was
more complicated and clearly differed from that of the
base metal. SCC in the weld zone tended to propagate
along ferrite-ferrite boundaries and avoid pearlite or
pearlite-dispersed regions.

948

The maximum crack depth on the fracture surface and the crack growth rate of base metal were
higher than those of the weld zone, although the tensile stress of specimens for the base metal was much
lower than that for the weld zone. These results supported that the weld zone was less susceptible to
SCC than the base metal. It was assumed that crack
propagation of the weld zone was suppressed by negrained microstructure and/or distribution of carbon
around the crack path.
It is concluded that the susceptibility to SCC at the
weld zone caused by an inuence of welding is much
less than that of the base metal.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors extend their appreciation to T. Haruna of Kansai University and H. Inoue of Osaka Prefecture University. This research was funded by a
grant from the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and
Industry, Japan.
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CORROSIONDECEMBER 2008