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Dry storage canisters of used nuclear fuels are fabricated using SUS 304L stainless steel. Chloride-induced stress corrosion cracking (CISCC) is one of the major failure modes of dry storage canisters. The cracked canisters can be repaired by friction stir welding (FSW), a low-heat input ‘solid-phase’ welding process. It is important to evaluate the ClSCC resistance of the friction stir welded material. Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) studies were carried out on mill-annealed base materials and friction stir welded 304L stainless U-bend specimens in 3.5% NaCl + 5 N H2SO4 solution at room temperature and boiling MgCl2 solution at 155 °C. The engineering stress on the outer fiber of the FSW U-bend specimen was ~60% higher than that of the base metal (BM). In spite of the higher stress level of the FSW, both materials (FSW and BM) showed almost similar SCC failure times in the two different test solutions. The SCC occurred in the thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ) of the FSW specimens in the 3.5% NaCl + 5 N H2SO4 solution at room temperature, while the stirred zone (SZ) was relatively crack-free. The failure occurred at the stirred zone when tested in the boiling MgCl2 solution. Hydrogen reduction was the cathodic reaction in the boiling MgCl2 solution, which promoted hydrogen-assisted cracking of the heavily deformed stirred zone. The emergence of the slip step followed by passive film rupture and dissolution of the slip step could be the SCC events in the 3.5% NaCl + 5 N H2SO4 solution at room temperature. However, the slip step height was not sufficient to cause passivity breakdown in the fine-grained SZ. Therefore, the SCC occurred in the partially recrystallized softer TMAZ. Overall, the friction-stirred 304L showed higher tolerance to ClSCC than the 304L base metal.

Inconel 718 (UNS N07718) is a nickel-base superalloy containing iron that is used at cryogenic temperatures (arctic pipe components) and at high temperatures (gas turbines). This alloy is also used in off-shore oil drilling due to its high overall strength and resistance to corrosion. Inconel 718 components are created by a selective laser melting (SLM) additive manufacturing route and result in isotropic fine-grained microstructures with metastable phases (such as Laves phases) that are not usually present in conventional manufacturing processes. In this work, SLM Inconel 718 alloy specimens were investigated in four different conditions: (1) As-manufactured (AS-AM), (2) Additively manufactured and hot isostatically pressed (AM-HIP), (3) As-manufactured and heat-treated (solution annealing followed by two-step aging), and 4) AM-HIP and heat-treated. Localized corrosion behavior was evaluated at room temperature in a 3.5% NaCl solution at three different pH conditions (pH 1.25, 6.25, and 12.25). Electrochemical tests, including linear polarization, cyclic polarization, potentiostatic conditioning, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and Mott–Schottky analyses, were used to compare the corrosion behaviors of the SLM specimens with that of the conventionally wrought IN718 samples. The results showed that the additively manufactured specimens showed better corrosion resistance than the wrought material in the acidic chloride solution, and the AM-HIP specimens exhibited superior corrosion resistance to the as-manufactured ones. Hot isostatic pressing resulted in the visible elimination of the dendritic structure, indicating compositional homogeneity as well as a significant decrease in porosity. In addition, the deleterious secondary phases, such as Laves and δ phases, were not observed in the microstructure of the HIPed samples. The AM-HIP material showed the highest corrosion resistance in all the pH conditions. The two-step aging treatment, in general, resulted in the deterioration of corrosion resistance, which could be attributed to the formation of γ′ and γ″ precipitates that increased the cathodic reaction catalytic activities. In the additively manufactured samples, the presence of the Laves phase was more detrimental to corrosion resistance than any other phases and MC carbide and grain boundary δ phase increased the susceptibility to corrosion in wrought materials.

Environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) behavior of two Mg-rare earth (RE) alloys such as Mg–Zn–Gd–Nd–Zr (EV31A) and Mg–Y–Nd (WE43C) alloys was investigated by using U-bend specimens. Open circuit potentials (OCP) of the U-bend specimens were monitored during the EAC tests in 0.1 M NaOH solution with different chloride concentrations at room temperature. EV31A (as-received, and peak aged) and WE43C (peak aged) specimens failed by SCC in 80 ppm chloride containing 0.1 M NaOH solution at OCP. When the EAC initiation occurred, the OCP decreased continuously. Irregular fluctuations of the OCP were observed in the absence of EAC. The OCP versus time profile could be used for monitoring EAC failure of the Mg–RE alloy components in real life service. Applied potentials did not cause cracking of the EV31A alloy in 80 ppm Cl− containing 0.1 M NaOH. Accelerated cracking was observed on the WE43C alloy in peak-aged condition under the applied potentials in the transpassive region when compared to that of OCP condition. Overaging decreased the susceptibility to cracking.

Passivation kinetics of two Mg-RE alloys, such as Mg-Nd-Gd-Zn-Zr (EV31A), and Mg-Y-Nd-Gd-Zr (WE43C) were investigated in two different heat treated conditions (solution treated and overaged) in 0.01 - 1.0 M NaOH solutions under potentiostatic conditions. Negative reaction order was observed in dilute NaOH which transitioned to positive values as the passivation time increased and in the 1 M NaOH as well. The passive layers showed platelet morphology and the size of the platelets decreased with increase in the NaOH concentration. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) kinetics was not improved on the passive layer covered surface of the Mg-RE alloys in contrast to the improvements reported on the hydroxide covered pure magnesium. The electrochemical impedance increased with increase in the NaOH concentration in the solution treated condition of both Mg-RE alloys, whereas the overaged EV31A alloy showed a reverse trend. The passive layer of EV31A showed almost 100% higher charge carrier density than the film formed on the WE43C in the overaged condition. A better passivation behavior was observed in the solution treated condition than that in the overaged condition which could be attributed to the uniform distribution of the RE elements in the solution treated specimens. The WE43C alloy revealed better corrosion resistance in the alkaline solution than the EV31A alloy. Keywords: Magnesium rare earth alloy, Passivation, Alkaline solution, Hydrogen evolution

Mg–Y–Nd alloy (WE43C or Elektron 43) is a heat treatable magnesium wrought alloy that can be used up to 250 °C for aerospace application. This alloy has excellent mechanical properties (UTS: up to 345 MPa at room temperature) and improved corrosion resistance. Electrochemical passivation studies were conducted on this alloy under different heat treatment conditions in 0.1 M NaOH solution with the addition of chloride from 0 to 1000 ppm. The passive potential range typically extended to more than 1.5 VAg/AgCl. The transpassive potential was not dependent on the heat treatment condition of the alloy when the chloride concentration increased up to 500 ppm. However, pitting protection potential varied with the heat treatment condition when the chloride addition was 500 ppm or more. The specimen surface was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy to understand the passivation behavior of this alloy. The passivated surface of the WE43C specimens indicated that the surface layer consisted of MgO, Mg(OH)2, and rare earth oxide phases, and the heat treatment conditions did not significantly affect the composition of the surface film. Keywords: Elektron 43, Magnesium alloy, Corrosion, Passivation, Chloride

India has experienced significant Land-Use and Land-Cover Change (LULCC) over the past few decades. In this context, careful observation and mapping of LULCC using satellite data of high to medium spatial resolution is crucial for understanding the long-term usage patterns of natural resources and facilitating sustainable management to plan, monitor and evaluate development. The present study utilizes the satellite images to generate national level LULC maps at decadal intervals for 1985, 1995 and 2005 using onscreen visual interpretation techniques with minimum mapping unit of 2.5 hectares. These maps follow the classification scheme of the International Geosphere Biosphere Programme (IGBP) to ensure compatibility with other global/regional LULC datasets for comparison and integration. Our LULC maps with more than 90% overall accuracy highlight the changes prominent at regional level, i.e., loss of forest cover in central and northeast India, increase of cropland area in Western India, growth of peri-urban area, and relative increase in plantations. We also found spatial correlation between the cropping area and precipitation, which in turn confirms the monsoon dependent agriculture system in the country. On comparison with the existing global LULC products (GlobCover and MODIS), it can be concluded that our dataset has captured the maximum cumulative patch diversity frequency indicating the detailed representation that can be attributed to the on-screen visual interpretation technique. Comparisons with global LULC products (GlobCover and MODIS) show that our dataset captures maximum landscape diversity, which is partly attributable to the on-screen visual interpretation techniques. We advocate the utility of this database for national and regional studies on land dynamics and climate change research. The database would be updated to 2015 as a continuing effort of this study.