Investigating of effect of pre‐strain on stress corrosion cracking of carbon steel behavior on seawater environment

Stress corrosion cracking is a significant failure mechanism affecting carbon steels in seawater environments. This study aims to evaluate the effect of controlled plastic pre‐strain on the stress corrosion cracking behavior of ASTM A36 steel immersed in a 3.5 % sodium chloride solution. Four pre‐strain levels (2.5 %, 5 %, 7.5 %, and 10 %) were applied before testing using the slow strain rate testing method. Tensile tests were conducted to assess mechanical properties, and scanning electron microscopy was used to examine fracture surface morphology and crack propagation features. The experimental results revealed a progressive reduction in elongation from 20.0 % to 11.57 % and an increase in tensile strength from 418.02 MPa to 473.70 MPa with increasing pre‐strain, indicating strain hardening. stress corrosion cracking susceptibility, quantified by the ratio of area reduction in the corrosive environment to that in air, peaked at 12.5 for the 2.5 % pre‐strained specimen, while remaining constant at about 10 at higher pre‐strain levels. These findings highlight the complex influence of plastic deformation on stress corrosion cracking behavior and provide insights into crack initiation mechanisms in low‐carbon steels under simulated seawater exposure.