Effects of environmental factors on stress corrosion cracking of cold-drawn high-carbon steel wires. (March 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wu, Saisai; Chen, Honghao; Ramandi, Hamed Lamei; Hagan, Paul C.; Crosky, Alan; Saydam, Serkan
• Is Part Of: Corrosion science. Volume 132(2018)
• Page Start: 234
• Page End: 243
• Publication Date: 2018-03
• Subjects: Stress corrosion cracking -- Cold-drawn high-carbon steel wires -- Hydrogen embrittlement -- Galvanising; Corrosion and anti-corrosives -- Periodicals; 620.11223
• DOI: 10.1016/j.corsci.2017.12.014
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0010-938X

Abstract

Highlights: The resistance of cold-drawn high-carbon steel wires to SCC under conditions present in underground environments was examined. The presence of hydrogen sulphide was found to be more critical than its concentration in SCC. pH and applied stress level were found to have a direct impact on SCC. Role of hydrogen embrittlement in SCC of the wires was confirmed. Abstract: Premature failure of cable bolts due to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is a phenomenon that has reported to occur in underground environments. This paper presents an experimental study to determine the impacts of environmental factors on SCC in high-carbon steel cable bolts used in ground support system. The service life of the wire strands was measured under a range of accelerated SCC conditions using three- and four-point loading jigs. Fractographic analyses of the fracture surfaces of the failed wires displayed typical features indicating that hydrogen embrittlement was involved in SCC in these tests. It was shown that the presence of hydrogen sulphide is more critical than its concentration in SCC. The pH and level of applied stress were determined to have a direct impact on the occurrence of SCC. The deflection angle of the crack path was observed to be an inverse polynomial function of the applied stress level in the wire. This demonstrated the significance of the stress level on the fracture mechanism of cable bolts. Furthermore, the use of a protective galvanised coating on cable bolts was found to be a promising countermeasure against SCC. The results of this study provide detailed insight into the environmental factors involved in SCC of high-carbon steel wires and can be further used for setting guidelines for assessment of environments which cause susceptibility to SCC.