The potential for the SCC of titanium alloys under repository-relevant environments for U.S. nuclear waste

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is one of the most common corrosion-related causes of premature failure of metal structural components. This paper presents an assessment of the performance of titanium alloys (titanium grade 7 for the drip shield and grade 29 for the structural support), which may be subjected to SCC under proposed U.S. nuclear waste repository environments. The threshold stresses for SCC initiation, SCC crack propagation rates, and the threshold stress intensity factors for titanium grades 7, 28, and 29 are discussed.