The effect of roll-processing orientation on stress corrosion cracking of warm-rolled 304L stainless steel in oxygenated and deoxygenated high temperature pure water

Stress corrosion crack growth rates of 304L stainless steel after one-directionally warm-rolled along the longitudinal (L) direction were measured in oxygenated and deoxygenated pure water at 288 °C. The fracture mode is mainly intergranular in the Transverse-longitudinal (T-L) orientation specimen, while it is occasionally intergranular in the Longitudinal-transverse (L-T) orientation specimen. The crack growth rates in the T-L orientation are higher than those in the L-T orientation in both oxygenated and deoxygenated environments, which is related to the effective cracking growth path as the result of microstructural anisotropy and applied loading direction.