The stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior of A537 tank steel was investigated in a series of
environments designed to simulate the chemistry of legacy nuclear weapons production waste. Tests
consisted of both slow strain rate tests using tensile specimens and constant load tests using compact
tension specimens. Based on the tests conducted, nitrite was found to be a strong SCC inhibitor. Based
on the test performed and the tank waste chemistry changes that are predicted to occur over time, the risk for SCC appears to be decreasing since the concentration of nitrate will decrease and nitrite will
increase.
Additional Authors: L. Stock