It is widely accepted that thermally-induced grain boundary chromium depletion in austenitic alloys such as austenitic stainless steels and Ni base alloys can lead to inter-granular stress corrosion cracking (1GSCC) of high temperature components during service. Numerous modelling and experimental studies of the phenomenon have been reported. However, there are some previously unclear and unresolved fundamental issues in modelling and the interpretation of experimental observations. This paper attempts to clarify some of the issues through numerical calculations and examination of the literature on grain boundary chromium depletion.
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