STRESS CORROSION CRACKING VS. GEOMETRIC REFLECTOR CLASSIFICATION ANALYSIS FOR 304 AUSTENITIC STAINLESS STEEL PIPE WELD SPECIMENS.

The problem of identifying intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) in 26-inch diameter, 1. 3 inch thick austenitic stainless steel type 304 pipe is discussed in this paper. A computer based pattern recognition approach is utilized for classifying IGSCC's versus fabrication anomolies (geometric reflectors). The simplified pattern recognition approach utilized for classification purposes yields an 89. 3% overall index of performance, with 94% correct classification of IGSCC's. The approach is practical enough to be implemented in the field in hardware as an add-on device to existing flaw detectors.