Stress Corrosion Cracking

A customer had a large heated stainless steel process vessel processing a harmless chemical mixture. A sample cut from the tank showed classical stress corrosion crack coming from the outside. Phone discussion produced only the information that there was no chloride in the process and that these results were obviously the result of some prior manufacturing problem. This prompted a visit to the site. While standing there studying the machinery, this expert heard a noise from behind. It was a fork lift with a pallet of salt stored there, but used elsewhere. Case closed, but a significant lesson in the importance of actually covering the entire environment around a problem site.

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