Sustained load cracking

Sustained load cracking, or SLC, is a metallurgical phenomenon that occasionally develops in pressure vessels and structural components under stress for sustained periods of time.^[1]

It is particularly noted in aluminium pressure vessels such as diving cylinders.^[2]^[3]

Sustained load cracking is not a manufacturing defect; it is a phenomenon associated with certain alloys and service conditions:

6351 aluminum alloy^[2]
Overstressing due to excessive filling pressure^[2]
Abuse and mechanical damage^[2]

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