Intergranular stress corrosion cracking of copper – A case study

The objective of this work was to identify the conditions and mechanisms for stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of a hard copper tube employed in a cooling system. The fractured tube was made of deoxidized high phosphorous copper (Cu-DHP). The identification was performed on the ground of fractography, metallography, residual stress measurements and corrosive environment analysis. It was found that humidity and environment containing ammonium and trace amounts of nitrite and nitrate ions were responsible for initiation of SCC yielding to breakdown of oxide surface layer by pitting. Cracking was found intergranular and perpendicular to circumferential stresses. Stress corrosion crack propagation appeared the most consistent with the oxide rupture mechanism. The findings were discussed in relation to the literature data in order to get a better understanding of cracking behaviour.