Methodology to evaluate stress corrosion cracking in ethanol environments, applied to circumferential welds on API 5 L steel pipelines.

This work presents an experimental methodology developed to perform fatigue crack growth (FCG) and slow strain rate (SSR) tests in ethanol environments aiming to evaluate stress corrosion cracking (SCC) susceptibility of circumferential welds on steel pipelines. FCG and SSR specimens were machined from a welded pipe and the notches were properly designed to promote crack propagation in the different regions of the weld. Tests were carried out keeping the crack-tip region fully immersed in an ethanol solution, which was fueled by a circulation system to ensure replenishment and aeration throughout the test.