STRESS corrosion cracking is a combination of stress and corrosive action that results in individual cracks of a brittle, intergranular nature.
The author discusses such failures in compressor rotor blades made of a 12% Cr, type 403 stainless steel.
A laboratory technique was worked out for producing similar failures at will.
As a result of this study, it was recommended that compressor blades be stress relieved at 950 F. Since this has been done, no further cracking of the blades has been reported.
Tests with three alloys in addition to the type 403 showed the former alloys to be superior to 403 in regard to stress corrosion cracking.