Abstract

The effect of water flow rate upon the environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) response of a high-sulfur ferritic steel was studied at a temperature of 243°C. In contrast to earlier studies which employed compact-type specimens, this study employed relatively large tight semi-elliptical surface cracks tested under generally linear-elastic conditions. Flow velocities parallel to the crack as low as 1.58–1.84 m/s were effective in mitigating EAC.

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