Issue 2 DEF STAN 00-970

Dec 1999 LEAFLET 7 Part 1 Section 4

PROTECTION OF STRUCTURE
STRESS CORROSION CRACKING

1 DEFINITION

1.1 Stress corrosion cracking was defined by Dix1 as "spontaneous failure by cracking of a
metal under the combined action of high stress and corrosion". Champion2 has expanded this
definition and commented as follows:

"Susceptibility of a metal to stress corrosion implies a greater deterioration in the

mechanical properties of the material through the simultaneous action of a static stress and
exposure to a corrosive environment than would occur by the separate but additive action
of those agencies".

Note: This leaflet was previously published as Leaflet 406/1.

2 CHARACTERISTICS OF STRESS CORROSION CRACKING

2.1 Sustained tensile stress is a prerequisite for stress corrosion cracking and may be due to
service loads, fabrication or assembly techniques, heat treatment or the wedging action of corrosion
products. The maximum safe tensile stress level depends upon material susceptibility in the given
environment. It is, therefore, always desirable to reduce the residual and assembly stresses to the
minimum since it is possible that a combination of residual, assembly and service stresses can reach
a level high enough to cause rapid stress corrosion cracking.

2.2 Surface flaws or corrosion pits act as stress concentrators and can thus initiate stress
corrosion cracking of a susceptible alloy (see Para. 2.7).

2.3 With some more susceptible alloys really hostile environments are not necessary; e.g. at
appropriate stress levels moist air (RH 60%) may cause stress corrosion cracking.

2.4 Generally only a few specific environments are effective in causing stress corrosion cracking
in a given alloy.

2.5 Stress corrosion cracking can occur at elevated temperatures at which no liquid water is
present, e.g., hot salt stress corrosion in titanium alloys (see Para. 5.2.6).

2.6 The environment which causes stress corrosion cracking is often one that leads to only very
local corrosive attack; environments that cause general corrosion do not necessarily cause stress
corrosion cracking. There are however exceptions in which neither a preexisting flaw nor a
corrosion pit is necessary for initiating stress corrosion cracking if the environment has the critical
composition for the alloy. For example, although a titanium alloy may not undergo stress corrosion
cracking in salt water except from a pre-existing crack or flaw, in methanol stress corrosion
cracking initiates readily at a smooth surface of the same alloy.

2.7 In the absence of any significant surface defect there appears to be a threshold stress (σscc)
for each alloy below which stress corrosion cracking does not occur. There also appears to be a
threshold value of plane-strain stress intensity (KIscc) below which a crack will not propagate at a
significant rate by stress corrosion. Both σscc and KIscc vary with grain direction; for example, in

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DEF STAN 00-970 Issue 2
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PROTECTION OF STRUCTURE
STRESS CORROSION CRACKING

aluminium alloys susceptibility is far greater when stressed in the short transverse direction.

2.8 Grinding may promote stress corrosion cracking by modifying the surface structure of the
metal and by introducing tensile stresses into the surface.

2.9 Stress corrosion cracking usually initiates from the surface of an alloy but holes can expose
highly stressed interior material and thereby precipitate stress corrosion failures.

2.10 Stress corrosion cracking may initiate in unexpected locations and propagate within a part
for an appreciable distance (e.g. along a flashline plane) instead of breaking surface quickly.
Designers should therefore beware of the danger of hidden cracks occurring, with the resultant
unforewarned reduction in static strength.

3 ALUMINIUM ALLOYS

3.1 GENERAL
3.1.1 Severe stress corrosion cracking problems are possible with some aluminium alloys
unless the susceptibility of the alloy is reduced by metallurgical means and by the use of
appropriate heat treatments; the application of protective schemes cannot alone be relied
upon to prevent stress corrosion cracking.

3.1.2 By means of good design (see references) it is possible to make safe use of
susceptible alloys, while even alloys of low susceptibility may suffer stress corrosion
cracking if the design permits excessive residual and assembly stresses in the short
transverse direction. Components should be so designed that defects and other local stress
concentrators are minimised: stress corrosion crack growth is possible if the stress intensity
exceeds KIscc even though the loads present would be below σscc on a defect-free
component. it should be noted that the categorisation of aluminium alloys (Table 1) takes
into account not only σscc and KIscc values but also the variation of stress corrosion crack
propagation rates with stress intensity for the various alloys.

3.1.3 Machining of components in the fully heat treated condition may expose material in
which residual tensile stresses exist. These residual stresses can be minimised by the use of
extruded stock or plate which has been controlled stretched, or by the use of cold
compression on forgings. Some rough machining operations can be carried out before heat
treatment and the consequent reduction in residual stress can be beneficial with regard to
stress corrosion susceptibility.

3.2 HEAT TREATMENTS AND STRESS RELIEVING

3.2.1 Cold water quenching of forgings, extruded sections, plate and castings can induce
residual stresses of up to 80% of the alloy's proof stress. With plate, extrusions and sheet
controlled stretching can be used to effectively relieve the stresses, and certain forgings can
sometimes be stress relieved by a cold compression process. However, many forgings
cannot be cold compressed and various special quenching techniques can be used to
minimise the level of any residual stresses. These techniques include the use of mixtures of
polyalkylene glycols in water as quenchants which result in more uniform cooling rates and
hence reduce the level of internal stress.
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PROTECTION OF STRUCTURE
STRESS CORROSION CRACKING

3.2.2 The conditions at the parting or flash line in forgings can lead to stress corrosion
cracking in susceptible alloys. It is recommended that flash line geometry should be
discussed with the forger to enable a technique to be defined for each forging which will
allow deleterious grain flow to be removed during subsequent machining. Attention to
flash line effects is particularly important for hollow cylindrical components such as jacks,
where a relatively thin wall is close to the original outer surface of the forging. The use of
hand forgings or back extrusions should be considered in such cases.

3.2.3 Even after optimisation of quenching and stress relieving operations the
susceptibility of aluminium alloys is very dependent on subsequent ageing treatments. In
general, 2000 series (aluminium-copper-magnesium) alloys are susceptible to stress
corrosion cracking when aged at room temperature, but by the correct choice of
temperature (in the region of 175-190°C) artificial ageing for a few hours can greatly
reduce their susceptibility. Compared with naturally aged material, artificial ageing leads to
increased tensile strength, but reduced ductility and resistance to fatigue. The 7000 series
(aluminium-zinc-magnesium-copper) alloys are very susceptible to stress corrosion cracking
in the short-transverse direction when aged to peak strength (T6 temper), but subsequent
overageing treatments can lead to progressive improvements in stress corrosion resistance
with ageing time (e.g. T76, T736, T73 tempers). There is a progressive reduction in tensile
strength on overageing, but toughness is generally improved.

3.3 FORMING TO SHAPE AND OTHER MANIPULATIONS

3.3.1 Appreciable manipulation (other than controlled stretching or compressing) of any
form of the material (unless done in the annealed condition or immediately after quenching
from solution treatment) will often cause very high residual stresses which may initiate
stress corrosion cracking. With the exception of thinner clad sheet, all manipulation (or
correction of distortion) should be carefully controlled to minimise residual tension stresses.

3.4 FABRICATION STRESSES

3.4.1 Many situations that give rise to severe residual tension stresses, or to tension
stresses in the transverse grain direction, can be avoided at the design stage. Stresses
caused by mismatch during assembly can be alleviated by shimming which must be carefully
controlled. It may be possible to provide a surface compressive layer by an approved
peening process, which may retard or prevent propagation of small cracks by stress
corrosion.

Note: The heat treatment, manipulation, fabrication and sustained service loading stresses
may combine to produce stresses exceeding the proof stress of the material.
4 STEELS

4.1 GENERAL
4.1.1 It is usually accepted that in the absence of surface defects or other stress
concentrators, low alloy steels of below 1450 MPa (93.5 tonf/in2) maximum specified
tensile strength are not susceptible to stress corrosion cracking in the commonly
encountered aeroplane service environments and that steels over this strength may fail in
service when subjected to sustained tension loading (e.g. landing gear pressure cylinders) in
industrial or marine environments. However, some steels of less than 1450 MPa maximum
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PROTECTION OF STRUCTURE
STRESS CORROSION CRACKING

specified tensile strength are readily susceptible to stress corrosion cracking in specific
aqueous environments.

4.1.2 Steels which appear to be resistant to stress corrosion cracking by laboratory

evaluations using smooth test pieces may indeed suffer stress corrosion cracking from a
pre-existing crack or defect (e.g. in a screw thread root), under sustained tensile loading
(see Para. 2.7). This can be determined by testing pre-cracked bend specimens (Brown
tests) in a 3½% NaCl environment and the threshold stress intensity factor KIscc gives a
measure of the safe operating stress intensities at a given crack tip under these conditions.
It is emphasised that KIscc generally decreases as tensile strength increases; e.g. increasing
the maximum tensile strength from 850 to 1800 MPa (55 tonf/in2 to 120 tonf/in2) can
reduce the KIscc value by a factor of 3.

4.1.3 It is not easy to establish whether failures are due to initial hydrogen embrittlement
arising from pretreatment or protective treatment, or to stress corrosion cracking in service
which itself is probably by a hydrogen embrittlement mechanism. As tensile strength is
increased from 1450 to 2000 MPa (93.5 tonf/in2 to 130 tonf/in2) susceptibility to stress
corrosion cracking increases rapidly.

4.1.4 In contrast to aluminium alloys where initiation and propagation are of equal
significance, the period of crack initiation in steels is usually greater by a factor of 105 than
the time for crack propagation. It is therefore important to ensure that the protective
treatment scheme is not broken and that any component made from a susceptible steel
contains no pre-existing cracks or defects. The early development of a fatigue crack could
also be catastrophic. Failures in the higher strength steels i.e. over 1550 MPa (100 tonf/in2)
tensile strength, exposed to any wet environment could be produced in a few hours at
stresses as low as one half the tensile strength. However, with adequate corrosion
protection certain steels can perform satisfactorily at strength levels as high as 2000 MPa
max tensile strength e.g. DTD 5212.

4.1.5 In general steels over 1450 MPa (93.5 tonf/in 2) maximum specified tensile strength
will require consideration of stress corrosion hazards, and steels over 1800 MPa (120
tonf/in2) maximum specified tensile strength very special consideration. As with aluminium
alloys successful use may be made of the higher strength materials providing the design is
good and care taken at every stage of manufacture. Close liaison with structure and
materials specialists is essential.

4.1.6 Corrosion resisting steels can suffer severe corrosion and stress corrosion in crevice
situations. This effect should be carefully considered; for example when corrosion resisting
steel pipes are used corrosion can occur beneath identification sleeves, clamps and earthing
straps if chloride contamination occurs (either from the environment or from the breakdown
of contacting materials).

4.2 HEAT TREATMENT AND STRESS RELIEVING

4.2.1 With most steels high residual internal stresses can be introduced by quenching from
the hardening temperature but these may be relieved by subsequent tempering. Steels with
higher tempering temperatures are -usually more completely stress relieved.
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PROTECTION OF STRUCTURE
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4.2.2 The use of a stress relieving heat treatment (see DEF STAN 03-4) should always be
considered if residual tensile stresses have been introduced. This consideration should take
account of the magnitude and distribution of the expected residual stresses and the category
for susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking indicated in Table 3.

4.3 FABRICATION AND ASSEMBLY STRESSES

4.3.1 As with other materials these should be minimised with the higher strength steels.

4.4 PROTECTION
4.4.1 Protective scheme's, such as sacrificial metallic coatings (cadmium, zinc, or
aluminium) or phosphating followed by an approved paint scheme, can prevent the initiation
of stress corrosion cracking. It is important that any specified de-embrittlement post-
treatment is carried out to prevent hydrogen embrittlement which might be induced by
plating or acidic treatments involved in the overall protection scheme.
5 TITANIUM ALLOYS

5.1 GENERAL
5.1.1 Titanium and its alloys are very resistant to corrosion in most media including
marine environments. The metal is usually immune to pitting corrosion and as pitting is
normally the initiator of stress corrosion cracking it follows that titanium alloys without
crack-like defects are not generally susceptible to stress corrosion cracking in industrial or
marine environments.

5.1.2 Certain titanium alloys are susceptible to stress corrosion or sustained load cracking
if a crack or defect is present. The threshold stress intensity factor for stress corrosion
cracking (KIscc) can be as low as 25% of the fracture toughness (KIc). The designer should
seek appropriate specialist advice and take due account of these affects.

5.2 SUSCEPTIBILITY IN VARIOUS SPECIAL ENVIRONMENTS

5.2.1 Titanium alloys can be embrittled by contact with certain environments. Those
presently recognised are described in the subsequent paragraphs, but others may exist.

5.2.2 CHLORINATED HYDROCARBONS

5.2.2.1 Commercially pure titanium is not susceptible but certain titanium alloys
(particularly welded) can be susceptible to stress corrosion when exposed to
chlorinated hydrocarbons (e.g. during degreasing or paint stripping). The
requirements of DEF STAN 03-2 must be followed.

5.2.3 FLUORINATED SEALANTS

5.2.3.1 Certain sealants when in contact with titanium alloys may cause stress
corrosion cracking (see Leaflet 9).

5.2.4 CADMIUM
5.2.4.1 There is evidence that cadmium can penetrate the surface of titanium alloys
and embrittle them even at temperatures as low as ambient (see Leaflet 8).

5.2.5 SILVER
5.2.5.1 Titanium alloys may be embrittled by penetration when in contact with silver
or silver containing alloys at temperatures above 300°C.
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5.2.6 METHANOL
5.2.6.1 Stress corrosion cracking is possible in certain methanolic solutions. The
water content of the methanol is important: cracking will not take place if 2% or
more of water is present. Stress corrosion cracking has never been detected in
alcohols higher in the homologous series than methanol.

5.2.7 HOT SALT STRESS CORROSION CRACKING

5.2.7.1 Most alloys can be susceptible if they are heated to over 250°C in contact
with dry salt residues. In service this environment will normally occur only on or
near engine parts, but during fabrication there is also a danger of stress corrosion
from this source.

5.2.8 PHOSPHATE ESTER FLUIDS AND PHOSPHORIC ACID

5.2.8.1 Phosphate ester hydraulic fluids (such as Skydrol 500) can cause severe
corrosion and embrittlement of titanium alloys operating at temperatures over
120°C probably because of decomposition of the fluid to phosphoric acid.

5.3 GENERAL PRECAUTIONS

5.3.1 Care in machining (particularly grinding), fabricating and assembly is required, and
surface conditioning by controlled peening is generally helpful (see Ref 6).

REFERENCES

1 Stress Corrosion Cracking in Aircraft Structural Materials

AGARD Conference Proceedings No 18. April 1967

2 Symposium on the Engineering Practice to avoid Stress Corrosion Cracking

AGARD Conference No 53. February 1970

3 Specialists Meeting on Stress Corrosion Test Methods

AGARD Conference No 98. October 1971

4 Avoiding Stress Corrosion Cracking in High Strength Aluminium Alloy Structures

Alcoa Green Letter by E H Spuhler and C L Burton

5 Resistance of Wrought High Strength Aluminium Alloys to Stress Corrosion

Alcoa Technical Paper No 17 by D O Sprowls and R H Brown.

6 The Aerospace Structural Metals Handbook. US Department of

Defence Balfour Stulen Inc.

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PROTECTION OF STRUCTURE
STRESS CORROSION CRACKING

TABLE 1

RELATIVE SUSCEPTIBILITIES TO STRESS CORROSION CRACKING OF

VARIOUS ALUMINIUM ALLOYS (IN SHORT TRANSVERSE GRAIN DIRECTION
EXCEPT FOR SHEET AND TUBE)
Alloy Type Sheet Extruded Bar
and Tempers (See Note 1) Plate Tube and Sections Forgings
BS L108 A BS L105 B/C BS L102 B/C BS L103 C
BS L156 B (See (see Note 3) DTD 150 C
T3,T4 BS L158 B Note 2)
BS L163 A
2014 BS L164 A

BS L157 B DTD 5040 B/C BS 3L63 B/C BS L168 B BS 2L77 B/C

BS L159 B
T6 BS L165 A BS L93 B/C (See Note BS 2L87 B/C (See
BS L167 A (See Note 2) (See Note Note 4)
4) 4)
DTD 5070 A 2618-T651 A DTD 5014 A DTD 717 C
T6 (See Note 2618-T6, B/C DTD 731 A/B
2618 5) T62 (See
(See Note Note 5) B
5) DTD 745

T71 DTD 5084 A

T6 2219-T62 B 2219-T62 B
2219
T8 2219-T851 B 2219-T851 A 2219-T8510 A
2024 T3,T4 BS L109 A DTD 5100 C
(2124) BS L110 A BS 2L97 C
T8 2024-T851 B
6082 T6 BS L113 A BS L115 A BS L114 A BS L111 A BS L112 A
6061 T6 BS L117 A
BS L118 A
7010 T76 DTD 5120 B 7010-T7651 B
T736 DTD 5130 A 7010- A DTD A/B
T73651 M239
7050 T76 7050-T7651 B
T736 7050-T73651 A 7050-T736 A/B
7075 T6 BS 2L88 B DTD 5110 D DTD 5124 D
(7175) BS 2L95 D
(7475)
T73 7075-T7351 A BS L160 A BS L161 A
BS L162 A
7XXX T6 DTD 5114 D DTD 5024 D
T76 DTD 5104 C

NOTE 1: 2014 and 2024 sheet alloys categorized A are clad.

If the cladding is extensively removed the alloys should be categorized B.

NOTE 2: 2014 alloy tubing can suffer intergranular stress corrosion cracking at high hoop stresses.

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The normal categorization of C may be modified to B if a stress relieving operation is

carried out after solutionizing and quenching.

NOTE 3: BS L102 will be categorized B for thin section material (less than 3 mm as extruded) but
otherwise will be categorized C.

NOTE 4: 2014-T6 alloys may be categorized B or C according to the ageing temperature employed;
material aged at 160-170°C will be categorized C whilst material aged at over 180°C will
be categorized B.

NOTE 5: 2618-T6, T62 alloy extrusions will be categorized B for thin section material and
categorized C for thick section material. DTD 731 forgings will be categorized A if they
are cold compressed before precipitation treatment, but only B if not. Plate, extrusions, and
forgings in 2618 will be far more susceptible to stress corrosion than indicated in the Table
if the precipitation treatments used are less than those required in the approved
specifications.

NOTE 6: Alloys well rated with respect to stress corrosion may still be susceptible to other forms of
corrosion e.g. exfoliation (see Chapter 405).

NOTE 7: Apart from sheet and tube the above Table considers stress corrosion susceptibility in the
short transverse grain direction (or parting line of forgings) only. It is based on data from
stress corrosion tests performed both in natural environments (marine and industrial
atmospheres) and by alternate immersion in 3½% neutral NaCl (ASTM G 44-75). The
susceptibility is considerably reduced in the long transverse grain direction and is still
further reduced in the longitudinal grain direction. Trouble in the long transverse direction
is unlikely unless design is poor, and the possibility of trouble in the longitudinal direction
can be disregarded. Where the sustained short transverse grain tensile stresses are known
to be very low or alternatively where sheet or plate is thin and no short transverse loadings
are possible, stress corrosion problems may be less severe than indicated by the ratings in
the above Table.

NOTE 8: Where the international alloy and temper designations are quoted in the above Table
material specifications approved to Chapter 400 are required.

CLASSIFICATION OF SUSCEPTIBILITY

A Very resistant to stress corrosion cracking.

B Resistant to stress corrosion cracking although failures may occur under extreme conditions.

C Susceptible to stress corrosion cracking. Stress corrosion cracking of these alloys can be expected
unless the appropriate precautions are taken at the design stage. Alloys in this category should
only be used after discussion with materials specialists.

D Very susceptible to stress corrosion cracking. These alloys should not be used where sustained
tensile stresses are applied in the short transverse direction. When possible stresses relieving
treatments should be used to reduce quenched-in residual stresses. The use of alloys in category D
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is restricted and is only permitted with the approval of the Aeroplane Project Director.

TABLE 2

RELATIVE SUSCEPTIBILITIES TO STRESS CORROSION

CRACKING OF VARIOUS CAST ALUMINIUM ALLOYS

Alloy Type and Temper UK Specification Susceptibility

242.0 T6 BS 4L35 C
295.0 T6 BS2L92 C
B295.0 T6 C
355.0 T6 BS3L78 B
C355.0 T6 B
- T6 BS 3L51 C
356.0 T6 BS 2L99 A
A356.0 T6 A
A357.0 T6 - A
K0.1 ) T6 - D
Avior B) T7 C
- T6 BS L119 (RR 350) C
- T4 BS L154 A/B
- T6 BS L155 A/B

CLASSIFICATION OF SUSCEPTIBILITY

A Very resistant to stress corrosion cracking.

B Resistant to stress corrosion cracking although failures may occur under extreme conditions.

C Susceptible to stress corrosion cracking. Stress corrosion cracking of these alloys can be expected
unless appropriate precautions are taken at the design stage. Alloys in this category should only be
used after discussions with materials specialists.

D Very susceptible to stress corrosion cracking. These alloys shall not be used without the prior
approval of the Aeroplane Project Director.

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PROTECTION OF STRUCTURE
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TABLE 3
RELATIVE SUSCEPTIBILITY TO STRESS CORROSION
CRACKING OF VARIOUS STEELS ETC.
MAXIMUM SPECIFIED
TENSILE STRENGTH BARS AND ONLY FOR SHEET AND TUBE CASTINGS SPRINGS
IN RANGE (Mpa) FORGINGS BOLTS (ETC) PLATE
OVER NOT OVER
Non- - 1450 BS.S.91 A BS.S.147 B BS.S.534 A BS.T.53 A BS.HC.3 A
Corrosion BS.S.95 A BS.S.149 B BS.S.535 B BS.T.60 B BS.HC.4 A
Resisting BS.S.98 B BS.S.158 B BS.T.65 A BS.HC.7 B
Mild steels BS.S.99 B BS.HC.8 C
& Low/ BS.S.131 A BS.HC.402 A
Medium BS.S.139 A BS.HC.403 A
Alloy Steels BS.S.140 A BS.HC.404 A
BS.S.142 A BS.S.201 B
BS.S.153 B BS.S.202 B
BS.S.154 A BS.S.203 B
DTD.5082 A BS.S.204 B
1450 1550 - - - - - - - - - -
1550 1800 BS.S.134 C - - - - - - - -
BS.S.138 C - - - - - - - -
1800 - BS.S.135 B DTD.5222 D - - - - - -
BS.S.136 B
BS.S.146 D
BS.S.155 D
(300 M Var)
Maraging 1800 - DTD.5212 C - - (New Spec) C - - BS.HC.401 C -
Steels

Nitriding/ - 1450 BS.S.15 A - - - - - - BS.HC.5 A

Carburising BS.S.106 A BS.HC.6 B
Steels BS.S.133 A
BS.S.157 A
1450 1550 BS.S.132 B - - - - - - - - -
BS.S.156 B
(S82 Type)
Precipitation - 1450 BS.S.143 B BS.HR.650 A BS.S.533 B - - BS.HC.101 B -
Hardening BS.S.144 B
Steels
1450 1550 BS.S.145 C - - BS.S.532 - - - BS.HC.102 C -
BS.HC.106 C
1550 1800 - - - - - - - - - - -
1880 - - - - - - - - - - - DTD.5086 C*
Other - 1450 BS.S.62 A DTD.5076 B BS.S.524 A BS.T.66 A BS.HC.103 A
Corrosion BS.S.80 B BS.S.525 A BS.T.67 A BS.HC.104 A
and/or Heat BS.S.126 A BS.S.526 A BS.T.68 A BS.HC.105 A
Resisting BS.S.129 A BS.S.527 A BS.T.69 A M.190 B
Steels BS.S.130 A BS.S.530 B BS.T.72 A BS.S.205
BS.S.137 B BS.S.531 B BS.T.73 A A
BS.S.150 B BS.S.536 A BS.T.74 A
BS.S.151 B BS.S.537 A BS.T.75 A
BS.S.152 B BS.S.538 B (21.6. 9 Type) A
DTD.5066 A
1450 - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1800 - 440 C - - - - - - - - DTD.326 D*
- 1450 BS.HR.502 A
Nickel 1800 - These forms are not covered by this Table BS.HR.501 A
Alloys

NOTE 1. Maximum specified tensile strengths for spring steels BS.S.201/5 vary widely with
wire dia (refer to material specifications for details). Other materials are grouped according
to type of steel and to strength ranges related to strengths arising in para 4 of this Leaflet.

NOTE 2. Many steels, including some low strength steels, are susceptible to stress corrosion
cracking in hot caustic and nitrate solutions.

NOTE 3. Steels, especially springs, immersed in hydraulic fluid or oil may be so protected, and
even category D materials may be safely used.

NOTE 4. Electropolishing can improve the resistance of the spring steels marked * to category
B, but this treatment should not be applied to light gauge springs.

NOTE 5. Spring steels BS.S.205 and nickel alloys HR501 and HR502 are recommended for
use in high humidity and other corrosive environments.

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NOTE 6. Non-sacrificial metallic coatings can adversely affect the stress corrosion performance
of steels and such coatings (eg electroplated silver) should be avoided.

CLASSIFICATION OF SUSCEPTIBILITY

A. Very resistant to stress corrosion cracking in commonly encountered environments.

B. Resistant to stress corrosion cracking. When pre-existing cracks or defects are present,
failures may occur under sustained tension stresses in wet
environments. This group of allows can often be used without many stress corrosion design
limitations. The normal protective treatments applied
to stop rusting also give good protection against stress corrosion to non-corrosion-resisting
steels in this category.

C. Susceptible to stress corrosion cracking. Stress corrosion cracking of these steels can be
expected unless the appropriate precautions are taken at the
design stage. Steels in this category should only be used after discussion with structures and
materials engineers.

D. Very susceptible to stress corrosion cracking. The use of steels in Category D is restricted and
is only permitted with the approval of the Aeroplane
Project Director.

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