Cracks in the pipe

The cracks in the austenitic stainless steel sample on the picture below are most likely a case of Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC). SCC is the cracking induced from the combined influence of tensile stress and a corrosive environment (such as chlorides). The impact of SCC on a material usually falls between dry cracking and the fatigue threshold of that material. The required tensile stresses may be in the form of directly applied stresses or in the form of residual stresses. The problem itself can be quite complex.

What’s in a weld?

Investigation of welded materials for various applications in industry is of paramount importance. There are various test methods available to test the quality of welds such as destructive methods and methods whereby the material remains undamaged such as the use of images created by Rontgen rays.