The role of stress in the efficacy of coincident site lattice boundaries in improving creep and stress corrosion cracking

While a consensus appears to exist on the improved resistance to intergranular stress corrosion cracking (SCC) initiation of coincidence site lattice boundaries (CSLBs) in austenitic alloys, the effect of such boundaries on SCC propagation is not well understood. Experimental results show a direct correlation between IGSCC and creep rate via the fraction of CSLBs, as well as a cause-and-effect relationship between grain boundary deformation and cracking. The objective of this paper is to highlight the importance of deformation in the SCC behavior.