Techniques for intergranular crack formation and assessment in alloy 600 base and alloy 182 weld metals

Abstract Background A technique developed to produce artificial intergranular stress corrosion cracks in structural components was applied to thick, forged alloy 600 base and alloy 182 weld metals for use in the qualification of nondestructive examination techniques for welded components in nuclear power plants. Methods An externally controlled procedure was demonstrated to produce intergranular stress corrosion cracks that are comparable to service-induced cracks in both the base and weld metals. During the process of crack generation, an online direct current potential drop method using array probes was used to measure and monitor the sizes and shapes of the cracks. Results A microstructural characterization of the produced cracks revealed realistic conformation of the crack faces unlike those in machined notches produced by an electrodischarge machine or simple fatigue loading using a universal testing machine. Conclusion A comparison with a destructive metallographic examination showed that the characteristics, orientations, and sizes of the intergranular cracks produced in this study are highly reproducible.