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Um dos principais mecanismos de falha que causam riscos de fratura a reatores de água pressurizada é a corrosão sob tensão de ligas metálicas em água do circuito primário (CSTAP). É causada por uma combinação das tensões de tração, meio ambiente em temperatura e microestruturas metalúrgicas susceptíveis. Ela pode ocorrer, dentre outros locais, nos bocais do mecanismo de acionamento das barras de controle. Essa fratura pode causar acidentes que comprometem a segurança nuclear através do bloqueio das barras de controle e vazamentos de água do circuito primário reduzindo a confiabilidade e a vida útil do reator. O objetivo desta Tese de Doutorado é o estudo de modelos e uma proposta de modelagem para fraturas por corrosão sob tensão em liga 75Ni15Cr9Fe (liga 600), em água de circuito primário de reator de água pressurizada nesses bocais. São superpostos modelos eletroquímicos e de mecânica da fratura e validados com dados obtidos em experimentos e na literatura. Na parte experimental foram utilizados resultados obtidos pelo CDTN no equipamento recém-instalado de ensaio por taxa de deformação lenta. Na literatura está proposto um diagrama que exprime a condição termodinâmica de ocorrerem diversos modos de CSTAP na liga 600: partiu-se de diagramas de potencial x pH (diagramas de Pourbaix), para a liga 600 imersa em água primária à alta temperatura (3000C a 3500C). Sobre ele, determinaram-se os submodos de corrosão, a partir de dados experimentais. Em seguida acrescentou-se uma dimensão adicional ao diagrama, correlacionando uma variável a que se denominou fração de resistência à corrosão sob tensão. No entanto, é possível acrescentar-se outras variáveis que exprimem a cinética de iniciação e/ou crescimento de trinca, provenientes de outras modelagens de CSTAP. A contribuição original deste trabalho se insere nessa fase: partindo-se de uma condição de ensaio de potencial versus pH, foram iniciadas as modelagens de um modelo empírico-comparativo, um semi-empírico-probabilístico, um de tempo de iniciação e um de taxa de deformação, a partir dos ensaios experimentais e superpostas a essa condição. Esses exprimem respectivamente a susceptibilidade à CSTAP, o tempo de falha, e nos dois últimos o tempo de iniciação de falha por corrosão sob tensão. Os resultados foram comparados com os da literatura e se mostraram coerentes. Através desse trabalho, obteve-se uma metodologia de modelagem a partir de dados experimentais. / One of the main failure mechanisms that cause risks to pressurized water reactors is the primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) occurring in alloys. It can occurs, besides another places, at the control reactor displacement mechanism nozzles. It is caused by the joint effect of tensile stress, temperature, susceptible metallurgical microstructure and environmental conditions of the primary water. These cracks can cause accidents that reduce nuclear safety by blocking the rods displacement and may cause leakage of primary water, reducing the reactors life. In this work it is proposed a study of the existing models and a modeling proposal to primary water stress corrosion cracking in these nozzles in a nickelbased Alloy 600. It is been superposed electrochemical and fracture mechanics models, and validated using experimental and literature data. The experimental data were obtained at CDTN-Brazilian Nuclear Technology Development Center, in a recent installed slow strain rate testing equipment. In the literature it is found a diagram that indicates a thermodynamic condition for the occurrence of some PWSCC submodes in Alloy 600: it was used potential x pH diagrams (Pourbaix diagrams), for Alloy 600 in high temperature primary water (3000C till 3500C). Over it, were located the PWSCC submodes, using experimental data. It was added a third parameter called stress corrosion strength fraction. However, it is possible to superpose to this diagram, other parameters expressing PWSCC initiation or growth kinetics from other models. Here is the proposition of the original contribution of this work: from an original experimental condition of potencial versus pH, it was superposed, an empiric-comparative, a semi-empiric-probabilistic, an initiation time, and a strain rate damage models, to quantify respectively the PWSCC susceptibility, the failure time, and in the two lasts, the initiation time of stress corrosion cracking. It was modeling from our experimental data. The results were compared with the literature and it showed to be coherent. From this work was obtained a modeling methodology from experimental data.

Este estudo apresenta uma tentativa para investigação do efeito que a sensibilidade à taxa de deformação do material poderia provocar no modo de falha do ponto de solda. É sabido que alguns materiais quando deformados dinamicamente sofrem elevação na sua resistência mecânica, e portanto este aumento poderia afetar o comportamento, ou seja, o modo de falha da junta. Os modos de falha esperados neste estudo são o de cisalhamento do ponto na interface ou o arrancamento do ponto na região da zona termicamente afetada. Uma formulação analítica para as tensões atuantes devido à solicitação dinâmica no ponto foi proposta com base em estudos existente para juntas solicitadas estaticamente. Propôs-se uma forma de quantificar a taxa de deformação, que foi incorporada à formulação da tensão dinâmica atuante na região da junta. Em conjunto à formulação analítica, um modelo de elementos finitos foi desenvolvido e diversas condições de carregamento e geometrias foram analisadas e posteriormente comparadas com os resultados analíticos. Como resultado principal verificou-se que, para a estimativa adotada para a taxa de deformação de material, o modo de falha da junta não se altera quando comparado com o modo de falha presente na junta solicitada a carregamento estático. E que para as formulações estimadas e modelos investigados a falha teria uma tendência a ocorrer na região da zona termicamente afetada para qualquer dos casos de carregamento analisados. / This study presents an attempt to probe the effect that some materials strain rate sensitivity could set in the failure mode of the spot weld joint. It is well known that some materials when dynamically loaded and deformed have its mechanical strength increased and therefore this strength increase could affect the joint failure behavior. The failure modes taken in account in this study are the shear of the spot weld in the interface region and the pull-out of the spot weld in the heat affected zone. An analytical formulation to the acting stress in the spot weld region owing to the dynamic loading has been proposed based on studies performed to the statically loaded spot weld joint. Moreover, an analytical formulation has been proposed to quantify the strain rate, and it has been incorporated in the dynamic stress formulation. A finite element model has been also built. Several geometrical configurations of this model have been analyzed under several velocity loading conditions, and their results have been compared with the analytical considerations. As the main result, it has been verified, to the estimated strain rate formulation, the failure mode in the dynamic loading condition has not effectively changed in comparison with the statically loaded joint failure. And according to the formulation considered and the finite elements models results the failure would tend to happen in the heat affected zone to any of the loading cases taken in account in this study.

Foi estudado, através de ensaio de tração, o Nb policristalino com teor de hidrogênio de 0 a 50 partes por milhão em peso (ppm-p) nas temperaturas de 223, 273 e 293 K. Os ensaios de tração a velocidades constantes foram realizados com taxas iniciais de deformaçao de 4,2 X 10-5 e 42 X 10-5 s-1 , e os parâmetros de ductilidade e resistência mecânica foram analisados em função da concentração de hidrogênio. Foram também obtidos o coeficiente de sensitividade a taxa de deformação (m) e o volume de ativação (V) através de ensaios de tração, alternando-se abruptamente a taxa de deformação entre os valores acima mencionados, em sucessivos pontos da curva tensão-deformação. Para o cálculo destes dois últimos parâmetros foi proposta uma análise detalhada, considerando-se os efeitos elásticos e o encruamento durante a deformação plástica uniforme. Todo o estudo foi acompanhado por análise fratográfica Que permitiu verificar três comportamentos de ruptura da liga Nb-H, dependendo do teor de hidrogênio e da temperatura. A 223K foi observado que há uma forte redução de ductilidade do Nb para teores de hidrogênio até 10 ppm-p, sendo que para este teor o seu comportamento foi totalmente frágil / Tensile testing at 223, 273 and 293 K was carried out on polycrystalline Nb dopped from 0 to 50 parts per million in weight (ppm-wt) of Hydrogen. The tensile testing at constant velocity was done at 4,2 X 10 -5 and 42 X 10-5 s-1 of initial strain rate, and the ductility and strength parameters was analysed as a function of the hydrogen content. It was also obtained the strain rate sensitivity (m) and the activation volume (V), from tensile testing, cycling between the two above specified strain rates, at several points of the stress-strain curve. For the calculation of this two last parameters it was proposed a detailed analysis, considering the elastic effect and the work hardening during the uniform plastic deformation. All these studies was followed by fratographic analysis that alowed the identification of three rupture behavior for the Nb-H alloy, depending of the temperature and the hydrogen content. At 223 K, it was observed that there is a strong embrittlement of Nb for hydrogen content up to 10 ppm-wt, and for this value the behavior was completely brittle

The optimisation of compressor stage aerofoil and fan blade design remains an important area of titanium alloy research and development for aerospace gas turbines. Such research has important implications for critical and sensitive component integrity and efficiency. In particular, a better understanding of how deformation twinning interacts with microstructural features in titanium alloys is required, because such twinning facilitates plastic deformation at a higher strain rate than dislocations. To investigate this behaviour, commercial purity titanium and the titanium alloy Ti–6Al–4V were subjected to ballistic impact testing at room temperature with a high strain rate of 10³s⁻¹. In addition, a detailed analysis was conducted of three manufacturing processes of Ti–6Al–4V (wt. %) that are likely to cause deformation twinning: metallic shot peening, laser shock peening and deep cold rolling. The results presented in this thesis have furthered the understanding of the role of deformation twinning in the plastic deformation of α-phase titanium. Key findings of the research include the characterisation of deformation twinning types and the conditions that favour certain deformation twinning types. From the analysis of the ballistic testing of commercial purity titanium, the first definitive evidence for the existence of {112‾4} twinning as a rare deformation twinning mode at room temperature in coarse-grained commercial purity titanium is presented. In addition, the ballistic testing results of the Ti–6Al–4V alloy highlighted very different deformation twinning characteristics. Commercial purity titanium deformed plastically by a combination of {101‾2} and {112‾1} tensilve twinning and {112‾4} and {112‾2} compression twinning modes. By contrast, the deformation twinning of Ti–6Al–4V was limited to only the {101‾2} and {112‾1} tensile twinning modes. The two tensile deformation twinning types have very different morphologies in equiaxed fine grained Ti–6Al–4V. {112‾1} deformation twins span multiple grain boundaries and {101‾2} deformation twins reorient entire grains to a twinned orientation. This observation provides evidence for whole grain twinning of equiaxed fine grained Ti–6Al–4V by {101‾2} twinning. Grain boundary interactions between various deformation twinning types and alpha phase grain boundaries in commercial purity titanium and Ti–6Al–4V are reported and analysed. In commercial purity titanium {101‾2} as well as other deformation twinning types were observed interacting across alpha phase boundaries and higher angle alpha phase grain boundaries. The analyses of the manufacturing processes of Ti–6Al–4V highlight the very different dislocation and deformation twinning structures in surfaces processed by these techniques. A notable feature of material processed by laser shock peening is the almost complete absence of deformation twinning, contrasting with the frequent observation of extensive deformation twinning observed in the material processed by metallic shot peening and deep cold rolling. Therefore, the findings suggest that there is a strain rate limit above which deformation twinning is suppressed. The implications of this research are that a better understanding of the conditions that that favour certain deformation twinning types or propagation behaviours will enable more accurate plasticity modelling and better alloy design. This is important for the design and the manufacturing of titanium components and the high strain rate deformation to which titanium components in aerospace gas turbines can be subjected because of bird strike, foreign object debris ingestion or fan blade failures.

Este estudo apresenta uma tentativa para investigação do efeito que a sensibilidade à taxa de deformação do material poderia provocar no modo de falha do ponto de solda. É sabido que alguns materiais quando deformados dinamicamente sofrem elevação na sua resistência mecânica, e portanto este aumento poderia afetar o comportamento, ou seja, o modo de falha da junta. Os modos de falha esperados neste estudo são o de cisalhamento do ponto na interface ou o arrancamento do ponto na região da zona termicamente afetada. Uma formulação analítica para as tensões atuantes devido à solicitação dinâmica no ponto foi proposta com base em estudos existente para juntas solicitadas estaticamente. Propôs-se uma forma de quantificar a taxa de deformação, que foi incorporada à formulação da tensão dinâmica atuante na região da junta. Em conjunto à formulação analítica, um modelo de elementos finitos foi desenvolvido e diversas condições de carregamento e geometrias foram analisadas e posteriormente comparadas com os resultados analíticos. Como resultado principal verificou-se que, para a estimativa adotada para a taxa de deformação de material, o modo de falha da junta não se altera quando comparado com o modo de falha presente na junta solicitada a carregamento estático. E que para as formulações estimadas e modelos investigados a falha teria uma tendência a ocorrer na região da zona termicamente afetada para qualquer dos casos de carregamento analisados. / This study presents an attempt to probe the effect that some materials strain rate sensitivity could set in the failure mode of the spot weld joint. It is well known that some materials when dynamically loaded and deformed have its mechanical strength increased and therefore this strength increase could affect the joint failure behavior. The failure modes taken in account in this study are the shear of the spot weld in the interface region and the pull-out of the spot weld in the heat affected zone. An analytical formulation to the acting stress in the spot weld region owing to the dynamic loading has been proposed based on studies performed to the statically loaded spot weld joint. Moreover, an analytical formulation has been proposed to quantify the strain rate, and it has been incorporated in the dynamic stress formulation. A finite element model has been also built. Several geometrical configurations of this model have been analyzed under several velocity loading conditions, and their results have been compared with the analytical considerations. As the main result, it has been verified, to the estimated strain rate formulation, the failure mode in the dynamic loading condition has not effectively changed in comparison with the statically loaded joint failure. And according to the formulation considered and the finite elements models results the failure would tend to happen in the heat affected zone to any of the loading cases taken in account in this study.

La déformation actuelle et la sismicité en domaine intraplaque sont des phénomènes mal compris. En particulier le rôle de l'héritage structural sur les variations spatiales de sismicité, et donc d'aléa sismique, reste une problématique majeure à la fois académique et sociétale. Plusieurs études semblent montrer que l'adoucissement rhéologique créé lors de la formation de grandes structures tectoniques aujourd'hui héritées, est un facteur indispensable pour expliquer la localisation et la magnitude de la déformation actuelle. Cependant, la quantification de l'impact de cet l’héritage structural sur la déformation de la croûte supérieure est toujours mal contrainte voir inconnue.Ces travaux de thèse ont pour but de quantifier l'impact de l'héritage structural sur la déformation actuelle des premiers kilomètres de la croûte. Il s’articule autour de deux axes de recherche. Le premier est la mesure précise des taux de déformations dans la vallée du Saint Laurent, à l’Est du Canada, à l’aide du Global Positioning System (GPS). Cette zone présente un fort héritage structural associé au paléo-rift Iapetus (~700 Ma) et une forte densité de station GPS permettant la mesure des taux de déformation tant à l’extérieur qu’à l’intérieur de la zone d’héritage structural. Une des nouveautés de cette étude est la combinaison de stations GPS continues et de campagnes (réseau de campagne dédié, pour la première fois utilisé pour contraindre les taux de déformation dans cette zone). L’analyse des taux de déformation obtenus à l’aide du GPS a montré qu’avec des taux de déformation de 2 à 11 fois supérieurs aux régions limitrophes, la zone d’héritage structural concentre significativement la déformation de surface. La comparaison des taux de déformation GPS avec ceux prédits par les modèles de réajustement isostatique glaciaire (GIA, processus majeur actif dans la région) a mis en évidence que l’héritage structural amplifie les taux de déformation générés par le GIA d’un facteur 6 à 28.Le deuxième axe de recherche consiste à développer des modèles numériques thermo-mécaniques 2D prenant en compte l’adoucissement rhéologique associé à l’héritage structural. La quantification de l’amplification des taux de déformation de la croûte supérieure est effectuée pour différentes localisations de l'adoucissement au sein de la lithosphère. Les modèles sont d’abord réalisés pour un cas intraplaque générique, puis appliqués à la vallée du St Laurent. Une des nouveautés de cette étude est d’analyser les modèles pour une force fixée, représentative du bilan des forces agissant sur la lithosphère, et supposée être à l’équilibre avec la résistance intégrée de la lithosphère. Cela permet d’appréhender le comportement mécanique de la lithosphère pour un état non stationnaire. Pour les modèles intraplaques génériques, l’amplification des taux de déformation varie de 1 à 27 en fonction des paramètres testés (lithologie crustale, quantité de déformation héritée, géotherme et force). Ces amplifications modélisées sont en accord avec celles mesurées par le GPS ou la sismicité à grande échelle spatiale (100s km) dans l’est de l’Amérique du Nord. Les modèles numériques associés à la vallée du St Laurent intègrent l’impact de la géométrie de la zone adoucie et des variations latérales de la quantité d’adoucissement et du géotherme. Les amplifications associées vont de 1 à 11, en accord avec les amplifications GPS calculées dans cette zone. Un résultat majeur mis en évidence par cette étude est la présence d’un noyau élastique conservé dans le manteau lithosphérique supérieur malgré le fort adoucissement imposé, limitant les effets d’amplification.Nos résultats reflètent un comportement mécanique de la lithosphère et de la déformation associée, supposés long-terme (10^3 à 10^5 ans). Des travaux restent à entreprendre pour quantifier l’impact des processus transitoires pouvant être à l’origine de la réactivation des zones d’héritage structural. / Current deformation and seismicity are poorly understood phenomena in intraplate domains. In particular, the role of structural inheritance on spatial variations of seismicity, and hence seismic hazard, remains a major social and academic issue. Previous studies tend to show that rheology weakening created during the formation of large tectonic structures, currently inherited, is essential to explain the current deformation localization and magnitude. However, quantifying the structural inheritance impact on upper crustal deformation is still poorly constrained, if not unknown.The goal of this thesis is to quantify the impact of structural inheritance on present-day upper crustal deformation. It is performed through two research axes. The first one is the measure of precise strain rates in the Saint Lawrence Valley, eastern Canada, using the Global Positioning System (GPS). This region presents a strong structural inheritance related to the Iapetus paleo-rift (~700 Ma) and a dense GPS network, allowing a high resolution in the strain rate measurements both outside and inside the structural inheritance area. One of the novelties in this study is the combination of continues and campaign GPS stations (dedicated network, used for the first time to constrain strain rates in this region). GPS strain rate analysis show that structural inheritance significantly localizes the deformation, increasing 2-11 times the average surface strain rates in the structural inheritance area compared to surrounding regions. The comparison of GPS strain rates and glacial isostatic adjustment models (GIA, the main active process in the St Lawrence Valley) shows that GIA-induced strain rates are amplified inside the inheritance area about a factor of 6 to 28, whereas they are not amplified outside the inherited domain.The second research axe involves developing 2D thermo-mechanical numerical models including rheology weakening related to structural inheritance. Quantification of the upper crustal strain rate amplification is carried out following different weak zone localization in the lithosphere. Models are first produced for a generic intraplate domain and then, dedicated to the St Lawrence Valley. One of the novelties of this study is to analyze the models for a fixed net driving force (including the impact of regional and local forces) assumed to be at equilibrium with the lithospheric integrated strength. This approach allows studying the mechanical behavior of the lithosphere for a non-steady state. For a generic intraplate model, the strain rate amplification varies between 1 to 27 depending on the tested parameters (crustal strength, amount of inherited strain, geotherm and net driving force). These model amplification factors are in good agreement with observed GPS and seismic strain rates calculated on a large spatial scale (100s km) in Eastern North America. Representatives models of the St Lawrence Valley investigate the impact of the weak zone geometry and lateral variations of both the amount of weakening and the geotherm. The associated amplification range between 1-11 and is in good agreement with GPS amplifications calculated in this region. A major feature highlighted through this study is the presence of a preserved elastic core in the upper lithospheric mantle despite the high imposed weakening, limiting amplification effects.Our results reflect long-term behavior (10^3 to 10^5 yrs) of the lithosphere deformation and mechanical behavior. The next step is to include and quantify the impact of transient processes, which could be at the origin of structural inheritance reactivation.

L’industrie automobile suit une politique d’allègement via l’introduction de matériaux plus légers et plus diversifiés dans la structure du véhicule. Parmi les techniques d’assemblages envisagées, le présent document se focalise sur le procédé de clouage grandevitesse. Des essais d’assemblages ont été réalisés en laboratoire sur de l’aluminium de fonderie, de l’acier DP780 et DP1180. La cinématique d’assemblage, les modes de ruptures, la réaction des tôles et les propriétés de la liaison sont étudiés. Des modèles matériaux ont été choisis pour rendre compte des phénomènes dynamiques et de rupture des tôles pendant l’assemblage. Le clou et les tôles ont ensuite été caractérisés mécaniquement dans plusieurs conditions de chargements et utilisés pour la calibration des modèles. Un modèle par éléments finis du clouage est crée; ses sensibilitées aux variations de maillage, frottement et modèle matériau sont évaluées et ses limitations capturées, soit par une pression d’assemblage inadaptées soit par la fragilité du clou. Des simulations de traction-croix et traction-cisaillement permettent finalement l’estimation des propriétés mécaniques de la liaison. / Lightweigthing structures using mixed material components have become one of the main target of automotive industry’s future. Among the joining processes under exploration, the present work focuses on High-Speed Nailing. Experimental campaigns are conducted under laboratory conditions on layers superposition made of cast aluminium, dual-phase steels DP780 and DP1180. Joining kinematics, sheets fracture modes, reaction the nail insertion and nailed-joint strengths are investigated in various conditions of experiment. Material models are chosen to account for the dynamic and fracture phenomena exhibit by materials in the joining stage. Mechanical tests are performed on nail and sheets materials under different strain-rates and stress-states and used as references for the calibration procedure. A finite element model of the joining stage is built; its sensitivity to mesh size, friction and material formulation is evaluated and its limitations captured by either inappropriate joining pressure setting or nail brittleness. After a new equilibrium is reached, the nailed-joint is tested through cross-tension and sheartension simulations to tackle the prediction of in-service properties.

La loi de comportement est un élément essentiel de la caractérisation mécanique des matériaux. Pour pouvoir identifier le comportement d'un matériau, il existe plusieurs méthodes expérimentales (traction statique, barres d'Hopkinson) qui permettent d'obtenir des lois mécaniques applicables dans des conditions bien définies et le plus souvent sur des matériaux massifs homogènes. La plupart de ces essais sont de plus couteux et exigent le plus souvent des géométries d'échantillons spécifiques. L'utilisation de ces tests reste limitée et ne permet pas d'analyser tous les types de matériaux comme les revêtements ou les matériaux poreux... par exemple. Or ces matériaux eux aussi nécessitent aujourd'hui une connaissance fine de leurs propriétés afin de permettre une simulation au plus juste de leur comportement en service. Les lois de comportement établies à l'échelle d'un matériau massif ne répondent également que partiellement aux besoins de modélisation de certains procédés detraitement mécanique de surface comme par exemple le grenaillage, car elles ne prennent pas en compte les effets de la surface. L'objectif principal de cette étude est de développer une méthode à la fois rapide et facile pour pouvoir identifier le comportement local des matériaux sous condition dynamique, afin de pouvoir caractériser les surfaces soumises à des sollicitations de type chocs. Pour atteindre cet objectif, une méthode inverse a été développée pour identifier le comportement des matériaux à l'aide d'une combinaison d'approche expérimentale et numérique d'essais d'impacts répétés. Les lois decomportements obtenues à l'aide de cette méthode inverse restent sujettes à caution car difficile à comparer à des valeurs de référence par manque de données dans la littérature. Pour cette raison ces lois seront ensuite comparées avec une méthode analytique inspirée de la théorie de l'indentation. Afin de valider l'efficacité de la méthode inverse et de la méthode analytique, des essais numériques à l'aveugle ont été menés, ensuite des applications sur des matériaux modèles et industriels ont été réalisées pour déterminer les limites des méthodes. / The behavior law is an essential element of the mechanical characterization of materials. To identify the material behavior several experimental methods can be used such as (static traction, Hopkinson bars ...) that allow to obtain mechanical laws applied under well-defined conditions, i.e. on homogeneous and bulk materials. However, do to the rising cost of these tests and their specific sample geometry, their use is limited and does not allow to probe and measure all types of materials (like coatings or porous materials....). Moreover, a broad knowledge of their properties allows a more accurate simulation of their behavior in working process. Behavior laws appropriate for bulk material do not always fit to process modeling shot peening, due to surface deformation. The main objective of this study is to develop a simple, rapid method for identifying the local behavior of materials under dynamic conditions, in order to characterize surfaces under impact loading. An inverse method has been developed to identify the behavior of materials using a combination of numerical and experimental approaches of repeated impact tests. The behavior laws obtained by the inverse method must be further investigated due to missing comparison data in literature. A comparison with an analytical method based on the theory of indentation must be carried out for more accuracy. In order to validate the efficiency of the inverse method and the analytical method, numerical blind tests wereconducted, then applications on industrial and ideal materials have been carried out to determine the limits.

In recent years, the demand for alternatives to fossil fuels has risen dramatically, and ethanol fuel has become an important liquid fuel alternative globally. The most efficient mode of transportation of petroleum-based fuel is via pipelines, and due to the 300% increase in ethanol use in the U.S. in the past decade, a similar method of conveyance must be adopted for ethanol. Low-carbon, low-alloy pipeline steels like X52, X60, and X65 comprise the existing fuel transmission pipeline infrastructure. However, similar carbon steels, used in the ethanol processing and production industry, were found to exhibit stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in ethanol service. Prior work has shown that contaminants absorbed by the ethanol during distillation, processing or transport could be the possible determinants of SCC susceptibility; 200 proof ethanol alone was shown not to cause SCC in laboratory studies. To ensure the safety and integrity of the pipeline system, it was necessary to perform a mechanistic study of SCC of pipeline steel in fuel grade ethanol (FGE). The objective of this work was to determine the environmental factors relating to SCC of X65 steel in fuel grade ethanol (FGE) environments. To accomplish this, a systematic study was done to test effects of FGE feedstock and common contaminants and constituents such as water, chloride, dissolved oxygen, and organic acids on SCC behavior of an X65 pipeline steel. Slow strain rate tests (SSRT) were employed to evaluate and compare specific constituents' effects on crack density, morphology, and severity of SCC of X65 in FGE. SCC did not occur in commercial FGE environments, regardless of the ethanol feedstock. In both FGE and simulated fuel grade ethanol (SFGE), SCC of carbon steel was found to occur at low water contents (below 5 vol%) when chloride was present above a specific threshold quantity. Cl- threshold for SCC varied from 10ppm in FGE to approximately 1 ppm in SFGE. SCC of carbon steel was inhibited when oxygen was removed from solution via N2 purge or pHe was increased by addition of NaOH. During SSRT, in-situ¬ electrochemical measurements showed a significant role of film rupture in the SCC mechanism. Analysis of repassivation kinetics in mechanical scratch tests revealed a large initial anodic dissolution current spike in SCC-causing environments, followed by repassivation indicated by current transient decay. In the deaerated environments, repassivation did not occur, while in alkaline SFGE repassivation was significantly more rapid than in SCC-inducing SFGE. Composition and morphology of the passive film on X65 during static exposure tests was studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Results showed stability of an air-formed native oxide under static immersion in neutral (pHe = 5.4) SFGE, and dissolution of the film when pHe was decreased to 4.3. XPS spectra indicated changes in film composition at high pHe (near 13) and in environments lacking sufficient water. In light of all results, a film-rupture anodic-dissolution mechanism is proposed in which local plastic strains facilitates local breakdown of the air-formed oxide film, causing iron to dissolve anodically. During crack propagation anodic dissolution occurs at the crack tip while crack walls repassivate preserving crack geometry and local stress concentration at the tip. It is also proposed that SCC can be mitigated by use of alkaline inhibitors that speed repassivation and promotes formation of a more protective Fe(OH)3 film.