The growth rates of stress corrosion cracks in austenitic stainless steels and nickel base alloy 600 exposed to simulated boiling water reactor coolant were measured by fracture mechanics testing techniques. Cold work may increase the crack growth rates up to one hundred times. In both, the annealed condition and the cold worked condition, the stress
corrosion crack growth rates are independent of stress intensity over a wide K-range and crack growth rates correlate well with yield strength and hardness. In the annealed condition the fracture path is intergranular, but higher degrees of cold work introduce higher
proportions of transgranular stress corrosion cracking.
Keywords: Stress corrosion cracking, stabilized austenitic stainless steels, alloy 600, cold work.