Histologic evaluation of the soft tissue response to sintered austenitic stainless steel fibre structures

Recently it has been supposed that the soft tissue response to fibre mesh materials can be influenced by changing the flexibility and/or porosity of these materials. Therefore, to test this hypothesis, small sintered stainless steel (316L) fibre web implants with varying flexibilities and porosities were inserted subcutaneously into the dorsum of rabbits. The implants were left in situ for 15 weeks. Histological and tissue compatibility evaluations were performed. It was found that the best tissue reaction developed around the most porous fibre web material. Nevertheless, because of the possible occurrence of corrosion phenomena, the real existence of a relationship between implant porosity and connective tissue behaviour is still not clear.     

The electrochemical behaviour of nitrogen-containing austenitic stainless steel in methanolic solution

The corrosion behaviour of nitrogen-containing austenitic stainless steel in methanol containing different concentrations of H₂SO₄, HCl, LiCl and H₂SO₄ + HCl has been investigated using a potentiostatic polarization method. The cathodic reaction in the H₂SO₄, HCl and H₂SO₄ + HCl solutions was proton reduction whereas in the neutral LiCl solution, oxygen reduction was the predominant cathodic reaction. Active, passive and transpassive behaviours were observed only for higher concentrations of H₂SO₄ (0.01–2.0 M) due to the inherent water content. A cathodic loop, characterized by measured negative current in the anodic region, was also observed in solutions, in which the concentration of H₂SO₄ was 1.0 M or higher. The relative stability of the passive films decreased as the H₂SO₄ concentration increased, and thus the steel suffered from mild pitting corrosion. In the chloride environment, the rate of corrosion increased as the Cl⁻ ion concentration increased. The presence of acid along with Cl⁻ ions enhanced corrosion, and the corrosion rate increased significantly. The steel suffered from mild intergranular corrosion in acidic chloride solutions of methanol. In the H₂SO₄ + HCl solutions, passive films were only formed when the H₂SO₄ to HCl concentration ratio was greater than ∼10:1.     

Cold-worked state and annealing behaviour of austenitic stainless steel

An investigation was made into the structural changes accompanying cold working and annealing treatments in seven austenitic stainless steels. The materials studied included five laboratory alloys and two commercial grades of austenitic stainless steels (types 304 and 316). X-ray line profile analysis showed that the stacking-fault energies of the seven steels ranged from 8 MJ m^–2 to 68 MJ m^–2. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used extensively to characterize the cold-worked and annealed states, Measurements of the resistivity change were performed to characterize the recovery and recrystallization behaviours. The cold-worked structure was found to be related to the stacking-fault energy. Dislocations tended to be arranged in planar arrays and to be confined in the original slip planes in alloys of low stacking-fault energy. Dislocation arrangement was less uniform and more random for steel of high stacking-fault energy. In none of the cases studied was the stacking-fault energy high enough to allow the cross-slip necessary to generate the dislocation cell structure often seen in other metals. Isochronal annealing of the steels reveals a distinguishable stage of resistivity recovery prior to recrystallization, which was attributed to the annihilation of vacancies and removal of carbon from the solid solution. A second stage of resistivity drop (above 500° C) resulted from recrystallization. The temperature for the start of recrystallization was found to be related to stacking-fault energy.     

Synthesis of austenitic stainless steel powder alloys by mechanical alloying

Fe–18Cr–xNi (x = 8, 12, 13, 15, and 20 wt%) blended elemental powders were subjected to mechanical alloying in a high-energy SPEX shaker mill. The milled powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy techniques. It was shown that the sequence of phase formation in the Fe–18Cr–8Ni, Fe–18Cr–12Ni and Fe–18Cr–13Ni compositions was ferrite in the early stages of milling and then formation of austenite, which eventually transformed to stress-induced martensite on continued milling. The time for the formation of the austenite phase was shorter for the 12Ni and 13Ni powder blends than for the 8Ni powder. However, in the Fe–18Cr–15Ni and Fe–18Cr–20Ni compositions, the initial phase to form was ferrite and then a fully austenitic structure had formed on milling the powder for 10 h. No martensitic transformation occurred in this case on continued milling. The phase formation and microstructural features were confirmed by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy and diffraction techniques. A new metastable phase diagram was proposed outlining the stability of the austenite phase in ternary Fe–Cr–Ni alloys.     

The effect of pre-strain on tensile behaviour of 316L austenitic stainless steel

ABSTRACT

The effect of pre-strain on tensile behaviour of 316L austenitic stainless steel was investigated, focusing on strain rate sensitivity, temperature sensitivity and strain hardening. Experimental data showed that strain rate sensitivity, temperature sensitivity and strain hardening were weakening with pre-strain. Meanwhile, the variation of microstructure with pre-strain was observed by optical microscopy, scanning electronic microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Then, the mechanical properties of pre-strained material were correlated with the increase in dislocation density and mechanical twinning with pre-strain. Finally, an improved Arrhenius-PS model considering the effect of pre-strain was developed.

This paper is part of a thematic issue on Nuclear Materials.     

Nanoindentation creep deformation behaviour of high nitrogen nickel-free austenitic stainless steel

Nanoindentation tests of the high nitrogen nickel-free austenitic stainless steel (HNS) were performed with peak load in a wide range of 100–600?mN to investigate the nanoindentation creep deformation behaviours. The results of the nanoindentation creep tests have demonstrated that the load plateaus, creep strain rate and creep stress of the cold-rolled HNS are larger and its creep stress exponent is smaller than the solution-treated HNS. The analysis reveals that the obvious creep deformation behaviour in the cold-rolled HNS arises from the rapidly relaxed dislocation structures in the initial transition regime, while the small creep deformation behaviour of the solution-treatedHNS is mainly attributed to that the stable dislocation structures for the intensive interactions between dislocations.     

Hall-Petch behaviour of 316L austenitic stainless steel at elevated temperatures

Abstract

The plastic deformation behaviour of two different batches (having differences in chemical composition) of 316L austenitic stainless steel has been explored in the 200-800°C temperature range as a function of grain size. The plastic behaviour is correlated with microstructural observations of annealed and deformed samples. The microstructural parameters measured in this study are grain size, grain size and shape distribution, grain aspect ratio, and the distribution of dihedral angles. Hardness measurements were also performed to assess the hardness profile across the grains. The applicability of Hall-Petch relationship was tested in the 200-800°C temperature range. It is observed that the Hall-Petch relationship is applicable in the coarse grain regime (d≥6 μm) and Kocks composite relationship (σ versus d^-1) in the fine grain regime (d≤6 μm) of batch 1 samples in the 200-600^°C temperature range. At 800°C, the Hall-Petch data is widely scattered and the scatter increases with increasing strain. The variation of Hall-Petch parameters and Kocks parameters with strain and temperature are analysed on the basis of changes in the microstructural parameters. The operating deformation mechanisms in different temperature and strain ranges are discussed on the basis of variation of microstructural parameters with strain and temperature.     

Mechanical behaviour of nitrogen-alloyed austenitic stainless steel hardened by warm rolling

This investigation deals with the hardening effect, by warm rolling, of the alloy Uranus B66^®, a nitrogen-alloyed austenitic stainless steel produced by Creusot-Loire Industrie. The warm rolling process leads to substructural changes from the appearance of planar slips at low deformation, the micro-twins formation followed by sequences of their bending, breaking and disappearance at intermediate deformation, and finally to the formation of heavily deformed domains at the highest warm rolling reduction. The mechanical behaviour of the warm rolled Uranus B66, under quasi-static tensile and quasi-static and dynamic compression tests, has been analysed. Warm rolling increases the mechanical resistance to a saturation level and decreases the ductility when compared to that of the as-received material. The dynamic flow stress after warm rolling up to 85% increases to such a level that brittle fracture occurs after small plastic deformation. The origin of the strength saturation is related to the terminal microstructure derived from the warm rolling deformation.     

Diffusion bonding behaviour of austenitic stainless steel containing titanium and alumina

A study has been conducted to identify the function of titanium in 1 Cr18Ni9Ti steel and the effects of fabrication temperature, pressure, time and other variables on the strengths of diffusion-bonded alumina-1Cr18Ni9Ti. At temperatures of 750 to 1200°C, 1Cr18Ni9Ti steel was successfully bonded to alumina, with a maximum tensile strength of 19MPa. By EPMA titanium segregated to the interface of the joint, in contrast to the failure of bonding of 1Cr18Ni9 steel and alumina under the same conditions. Titanium can reduce alumina with the reactants of TiO and compounds of titanium and aluminium thermochemical calculation. Thus it is indicated that titanium is an important go-between element for bonding metal to alumina.     

Dynamical behaviour and microstructural evolution of a nitrogen-alloyed austenitic stainless steel

The aim of this work is to study the mechanical properties of a nitrogen austenitic stainless steel (Uranus B66) and their relation to its microstructural evolution. Quasi-static (10⁻³ s⁻¹) and quasi-dynamic (1 s⁻¹) compression tests have been carried out with a universal servo-hydraulic testing machine. Dynamic (>10³ s⁻¹) compression tests have been performed on a classical split-Hopkinson bar apparatus. These tests, which cover a wide range of plastic strain, show that the material has a high-strain hardening rate, a good ductility and a great strain rate sensitivity. The temperature sensitivity has been determined over a large range, going from 77 K to 673 K. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations have been conducted in order to correlate the microstructure to the mechanical behaviour. Uranus B66 undergoes basically the same structure evolution during both quasi-static and dynamic compression tests. The plastic deformation is governed initially by planar gliding, followed by mechanical twinning when the dislocation density is saturated.     

Fatigue behaviour of friction welded medium carbon steel and austenitic stainless steel dissimilar joints

This paper reports the fatigue behaviour of friction welded medium carbon steel–austenitic stainless steel (MCS–ASS) dissimilar joints. Commercial grade medium carbon steel rods of 12 mm diameter and AISI 304 grade austenitic stainless steel rods of 12 mm diameter were used to fabricate the joints. A constant speed, continuous drive friction welding machine was used to fabricate the joints. Fatigue life of the joints was evaluated conducting the experiments using rotary bending fatigue testing machine (R = −1). Applied stress vs. number of cycles to failure (S–N) curve was plotted for unnotched and notched specimens. Basquin constants, fatigue strength, fatigue notch factor and notch sensitivity factor were evaluated for the dissimilar joints. Fatigue strength of the joints is correlated with microstructure, microhardness and tensile properties of the joints.     

Notch fatigue behaviour of low-temperature gaseous carburised 316L austenitic stainless steel

ABSTRACT

The influence of low-temperature gaseous carburisation on notch fatigue behaviour of 316L steel under cyclic axial loading was investigated. After carburisation, the carburised case was well distributed at the surface region and was not influenced by the notch geometry. Low-temperature carburisation considerably enhanced the notch fatigue performance, which led to 32% and 44% increase in the endurance limits for the specimens with stress concentration factors K _t?=?1.91 and 3.91, respectively. The notch sensitivity of 316L steel reduced after carburisation. Irrespective of the applied stress amplitude, the fatigue crack nucleation sites were always at the notch root surface for the untreated specimens. For the carburised specimens, fatigue cracks nucleation changed from surface at high-level stress to subsurface at low-level stress.     

Interaction of residual stress with mechanical loading in an austenitic stainless steel

Single edge notched bend, SEN(B), fracture specimens fabricated from AISI Type 316H austenitic stainless steel and containing a residual stress field were used to quantify the interaction of a residual stress field on subsequent fracture behaviour when the specimens were subjected to an applied load. Autogenous welding (where no additional filler material is used) was used to impart the residual stress field following a procedure which had been extensively characterised numerically and experimentally. Crack growth resistant curves were obtained for the specimens, and for similar specimens containing no residual stress field. It was observed that the residual stress field had negligible impact on the fracture behaviour of the specimens, in contrast to recently reported work which demonstrated a large influence of a residual stress field when the test specimens were fabricated from a ferritic steel. A numerical programme was conducted to consider the results in the context of a structural integrity assessment. The test results were assessed using both the procedures described in R6, a well-known structural integrity assessment procedure, and by explicit calculation of a modified J -integral via two-dimensional cracked body finite element analysis. It was shown that the assessments were pessimistic, all predicting an influence of the residual stress field on fracture when none was observed experimentally.     

Metadynamic recrystallization of austenitic stainless steel

Interrupted torsion tests were performed in the temperature range of 900–1100°C, strain rate range of 5.0 × 10^–2–5.0 × 10⁰/sec and interpass time range of 0.5–100 seconds to study the characteristics of metadynamic recrystallization (MDRX) for austenitic stainless steel. To compare the MDRX with static recrystallization (SRX), the pass strain was applied above the critical strain (_c) (_c = 2.2 × 10^–3 D^1/2 ₀ Z ^0.089, where Z is Zener-Hollomon parameter, Z = exp((380000 J/mol)/RT) and D ₀ is as-received grain size) to obtain the MDRX during interpass time. It was found that the kinetics of MDRX were dependent of the strain rate and deformation temperature but were nearly independent of the change in pass strain after the peak strain. The time for 50% metadynamic softening, t ₅₀, was determined as follows: t ₅₀ = 1.33 × 10^{–11 –0.41} D ₀ exp((230000 J/mol)/RT) and this calculated value was consistent with the measured value. The Zener-Hollomon parameter was impossible to evaluate the MDRX fraction, because the fractional softening values were different at the same Z values. The new parameter (MDRX parameter) considering deformation temperature, strain rate and interpass time was proposed to evaluate the MDRX fraction. The MDRX-parameter was determined as 3.25 × 10^{–19 0.3} t _i ^0.6 T ¹².     

Creep of austenitic stainless steel welds

Austenitic stainless steels (SS) find extensive application in power, petrochemical and nuclear industries in view of their excellent elevated temperature mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, formability and weldability. However, they are susceptible to hot cracking during fusion welding. To avoid this problem, chemical composition of the welding consumable is generally adjusted to promote primary ferrite mode of solidification and retain about 3 to 10%δ-ferrite in the as-welded condition. The duplex microstructure of the weld metal undergoes transformation to carbides and a variety of intermetallic phases during elevated temperature service and causes deterioration in the mechanical properties. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the current understanding of the solidification microstructures, ageing processes and their influence on the creep behaviour of types 308 and 316 SS weld metals. The effects of varying chemical composition,δ-ferrite content, electrode coating and welding processes on creep strength and ductility are examined. Current trends in the design of welded components for creep application are also discussed.     

Embrittlement of austenitic stainless steel welds

To prevent hot-cracking, austenitic stainless steel welds generally contain a small percent of delta ferrite. Although ferrite has been found to effectively prevent hot-cracking, it can lead to embrittlement of welds when exposed to elevated temperatures. The aging behavior of type-308 stainless steel weld has been examined over a range of temperatures 400–850C for times up to 10,000 hr. Upon aging, and depending on the temperature range, the unstable ferrite may undergo a variety of solid state transformations. These phase changes affect creep-rupture and Charpy impact properties.     

Hall–Petch behaviour of 316L austenitic stainless steel at room temperature

Abstract

The room temperature plastic deformation behaviour of two different batches (with differences in chemical composition) of 316L austenitic stainless steel has been studied. By thermomechanical treatments, a wide range of grain sizes varying from 2·7 to 64·0 νm was obtained in this study. The different microstructural parameters, such as grain size, distribution of grain size and shape, dihedral angle distribution, and grain aspect ratio were measured for annealed and deformed specimens of the two batches. The Hall–Petch behaviour of batch 1 showed two distinctly different linear regions, one in the fine grain size range (d≤6νm) and the other in the coarse grain size range (d6νm). The Hall–Petch parameter K _H (?) was significantly higher in the fine grain regime than coarse grain regime at all strains. Hardness measurements were also performed across the grain at different strain levels. The applicability of the Hall–Petch relationship was assessed in batch 1 and batch 2. It was observed that the Hall–Petch relationship was applicable in the coarse grain regime and Kocks composite relationship in the fine grain regime of batch 1. In batch 2 of 316L austenitic stainless steel, a single linear Hall–Petch relationship could describe the deformation behaviour over the entire range of grain size (from 2.9 to 46 νm) studied. The variation of the Hall–Petch and Kocks composite parameters with strain was discussed in terms of changes in the microstructural parameters.