Stress Corrosion Cracking of X70 Pipeline Steel in Near-Neutral pH Soil Solution
Stress corrosion cracking behavior of X70 pipeline steel was studied using slow strain rate tests (SSRT) and cyclic loading at high R and low frequency in a nearneutral pH soil solution saturated with 5% CO2+95% N2. The soil was from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region where the Chinese West-East natural gas transmission pipeline started. Electrochemical tests including a potentiodynamic polarization technique and electrochemical impedance spectrum (EIS) were also conducted in order to analyze the effect of the concentration of bicarbonate, bubbled gas and the addition of chloride ion on the polarization behaviors. The results of SSRT showed that transgranular stress corrosion cracking (TGSCC) occurred in Xinjiang soil solution. Crack initiation was associated with pitting, inclusion and streamline of rolling. The susceptibility to SCC increased with the decrease of the applied electrochemical potential and strain rate. Cyclic loading tests with smooth specimens showed that some cracks initiated after certain cycles and cracking mode was transgranular. Under the cyclic loading of high R and low frequency, the crack propagation rate (CPR) of precracked specimens did not increase at some region of stress intensity factor range (ΔK), which showed that the crack propagation process was dominated by SCC. The results of the electrochemical tests showed that the polarization behaviors were influenced greatly by the concentration of bicarbonate, bubbled gas and the addition of chloride ion. Low concentration of chloride ion in bicarbonate could cause the elimination of passivity and SCC behavior to that in near-neutral pH soil solution.