A note on the effect of testing temperature on the stress-corrosion cracking of martensitic stainless steels

It has been proposed that stress-corrosion cracking of strong (> 70 tons/in.²) martensitic stainless steels is a form of brittle fracture caused by the absorption of hydrogen which is a cathodic reaction product. There is an apparent anomaly in that the tendency to stress-corrosion cracking becomes greater with increasing temperature whereas steel becomes tougher. The work described here was carried out to determine whether brittle fracture due to dissolved hydrogen can occur at elevated temperatures (up to 340°) and two test techniques were used to this end. It is concluded that the results are consistent with a hydrogen-embrittlement stress-corrosion cracking mechanism.