Low cycle fatigue life enhancement of 316 L stainless steel by nitrogen alloying

Tests carried out at room temperature on 316 L stainless steels with different nitrogen contents show that nitrogen improves the low cycle fatigue resistance of the materials. However, saturation occurs when nitrogen content is above 0.12 weight per cent. The microstructural aspect is also studied; the deformation is more difficult and more planar when nitrogen is present. Moreover, nitrogen delays the formation of cells. A single relation, derived from the Manson-Coffin formula, describes the low cycle fatigue behaviour of these steels by taking into account plastic strain range and nitrogen content.