Research trends on stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in 316L stainless steel: A bibliometric review

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in 316 L austenitic stainless steel remains a critical reliability issue across chemical, energy, and biomedical applications. This study combines a bibliometric review with a focused technical synthesis to map research frontiers and translate them into actionable insights. Literature indexed in Scopus (2000–2025) was analyzed using bibliometrix/biblioshiny to quantify publication trends, co-authorship networks, keyword co-occurrence, and thematic clusters. Results show sustained growth in SCC publications with convergence on seven themes: austenitic microstructure and sensitization, residual stresses from manufacturing and service, general and localized corrosion behavior, chloride-induced pitting as a precursor to cracking, welding heat-affected zones, microstructural evolution under load and temperature, and hydrogen-assisted damage. Mechanistic evidence indicates that SCC susceptibility in 316 L is governed by the interplay of passive-film instability at specific grain-boundary characters, chloride activity, and tensile residual stress fields that localize dissolution and crack advance. Effective mitigation integrates texture/precipitate control, surface treatments that accelerate repassivation, and stress management via heat treatment or mechanical peening; nondestructive mapping methods help target high-risk regions. The review highlights gaps in standardized in-situ monitoring and cross-dataset comparability. We propose priorities for data-sharing and multimodal testing to close these gaps and enable design-for-SCC-resilience guidelines applicable to service conditions.