Stress assisted corrosion (SAC) is one of the major reasons for carbon steel tube failure in industrial and
power boilers. The initiation and growth of SAC strongly depends upon the formation and stability of the
protective magnetite film, Fe3O4, on the waterside surface of boiler tubes. A recirculation autoclave facility
was set up, in which slow strain rate tests (SSRT) and low frequency cyclic tests were carried out in
simulated boiler water environment on smooth carbon steel specimens to investigate the role of environment
and cyclic stresses on crack initiation and propagation. Preliminary results have shown that SAC crack
susceptibility increased with the increase of mean stress, and amplitude respectively, but decreased as the
frequency of cyclic loading goes up. Stress amplitude shows stronger influence on the crack growth and less
effect on the crack initiation than the mean stress value. The results from SSRT and low-frequency tests
indicate that the strain rate also affects SAC initiation and growth in boiler water environments. Results
from this study indicate that the SAC crack initiation and propagation mechanisms involve magnetite film
breaking and repassivation.