Effect of plastic deformation on the electrochemical and stress corrosion cracking behavior of NiCrMoV alloy steel in acidic environments

This work systematically investigates the effects of pre-strain on the microstructure, electrochemical behavior, and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) resistance of NiCrMoV alloy steel in acidic simulated soil solution. Experimental results demonstrate that pre-strain levels raise dislocation density, shifting the surface state from passive to active, thereby significantly degrading SCC resistance. Pre-strain enhances the cathodic reaction process, promoting cathodic hydrogen evolution reaction and increasing hydrogen content from 0.34 ppm to 0.84 ppm, which facilitates crack propagation. Furthermore, the susceptibility to SCC increases with pre-strain levels, which is attributed to enhanced anodic dissolution and hydrogen absorption.