Proton irradiation assisted localized corrosion and stress corrosion cracking in 304 nuclear grade stainless steel in simulated primary PWR water

Localized deformation and corrosion in irradiated 304 nuclear grade stainless steel in simulated primary water were investigated. The investigation was conducted by comparing the deformation structure, the oxide scale formed at the deformation structure, and their correlation with cracking. The results revealed that increasing the irradiation dose promoted localized corrosion at the slip step and grain boundary, which was primarily attributed to the strain concentration induced by enhanced localized deformation and depletion of Cr at grain boundary. Further, a synergic effect of the enhanced localized deformation and localized corrosion at the slip step and grain boundary caused a higher cracking susceptibility of the irradiated steel. (C) 2021 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.

Automated summary

The study found that increasing the irradiation dose promoted localized corrosion at the slip step and grain boundary in irradiated 304 nuclear grade stainless steel, primarily due to strain concentration induced by enhanced localized deformation and depletion of Cr at grain boundary. The synergic effect of enhanced localized deformation and localized corrosion at the slip step and grain boundary caused a higher cracking susceptibility in the irradiated steel.