Summary
Carbonate stress corrosion cracking (also known as carbonate cracking or carbonate SCC) is a specific form of alkaline stress corrosion cracking that can occur in carbon steel and low-alloy steels exposed to alkaline aqueous solutions containing significant levels of carbonates. The cracking is predominately branched and intergranular, and typically occurs as a network of very fine, oxide-filled cracks that may be difficult to detect.