Stress-corrosion cracking identification

Visual identification prior to failure is difficult due to the typical tightness of stress-corrosion cracks. A low-power hand lens will greatly aid determination. Crack enhancement may be achieved through the use of dye penetrants. Severe cracking may be detectable using ultrasonic, radiographic, or acoustic emission techniques. 

Other means of identification sometimes used satisfactorily involve chemical etching of the surface (not to be generally recommended), or the formation of letters or numbers by means of a vibrating stylus. The former is advantageous in studies of stress-corrosion cracking in which stamped symbols could lead to regions of stress concentration. 

Protection of Austenitic Stainless Steel from Polythionic Acid Stress Corrosion Cracking During Shutdown of Refinery Equipment Collection and Identification of Corrosion Products Initial Conditioning of Cooling Water Equipment On-Line Monitoring of Cooling Waters... 

---