GalvanicCrevicePittingIntergranularWeldDecayKnifeLineAttackExfoliationSSCLMEMICSCCFatigueIndex

DifferentTypesofCorrosion
Recognition,Mechanisms&Prevention

IntergranularCorrosion(Cracking)
Recognition
What is intergranular corrosion? Intergranular corrosion is sometimes also called "intercrystalline corrosion" or
"interdendriticcorrosion".Inthepresenceoftensilestress,crackingmayoccuralonggrainboundariesandthistype
ofcorrosionisfrequentlycalled"intergranularstresscorrosioncracking(IGSCC)"orsimply"intergranularcorrosion
cracking".
"Intergranular" or 'intercrystalline" means between grains or crystals. As the name suggests, this is a form of
corrosive attack that progresses preferentially along interdendritic paths (the grain boundaries). Positive
identification of this type of corrosion usually requires microstructure examination under a microscopy although
sometimesitisvisuallyrecognizableasinthecaseofwelddecay.

The photos above show the microstructure of a type 304 stainless steel. The figure on the left is the normalized
microstructureandtheoneontherightisthe"sensitized"structureandissusceptibletointergranularcorrosionor
intergranularstresscorrosioncracking.

Mechanisms

Whatcausesintergranularcorrosion?Thistypeofattackresultsfromlocaldifferencesincomposition,suchascoring
commonlyencounteredinalloycastings.Grainboundaryprecipitation,notablychromiumcarbidesinstainlesssteels,
is a well recognized and accepted mechanism of intergranular corrosion. The precipitation of chromium carbides
consumedthealloyingelement chromiumfromanarrowbandalongthegrainboundaryandthismakesthezone
anodictotheunaffectedgrains.Thechromiumdepletedzonebecomesthepreferentialpathforcorrosionattackor
crackpropagationifundertensilestress.

http://www.corrosionclinic.com/types_of_corrosion/intergranular_corrosion_cracking.htm

Intermetallics segregation at grain boundaries in aluminum alloys also causes intergranular corrosion but with a
differentname"exfoliation".

Prevention
Howtopreventintergranularcorrosion?Intergranularcorrosioncanbepreventedthrough:
z
z

Uselowcarbon(e.g.304L,316L)gradeofstainlesssteels
Usestabilizedgradesalloyedwithtitanium(forexampletype321)orniobium(forexampletype347).Titanium
andniobiumarestrongcarbideformers.Theyreactwiththecarbontoformthecorrespondingcarbides
therebypreventingchromiumdepletion.
Usepostweldheattreatment.

Formoredetails
Moredetailsonintergranularcorrosionareincludedinthefollowingcorrosioncourseswhichyoucantakeasin
housetrainingcourses,onlinecoursesordistancelearningcourses:
CorrosionandItsPrevention(5daymodule)
CorrosionandItsPrevention(2daymodule)
Corrosion,Metallurgy,FailureAnalysisandPrevention(3days)
MarineCorrosion,CausesandPrevention(2days)
MaterialsSelectionandCorrosion(2days)
StainlessSteelsandAlloys:WhyTheyResistCorrosionandHowTheyFail(2days)

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