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.     

Evaluation of tensile properties of austenitic stainless steel 316L with linear hardening by modified indentation method

Abstract

The instrumented indentation test has been widely used for the non-destructive evaluation of the tensile properties of metal materials. The true stress–strain curve, yield strength and tensile strength can be obtained by this method. In the present study, a new modified indentation algorithm was used to determine the tensile properties of austenitic stainless steel 316L by taking into account its linear hardening characteristic. As received 316L was solution treated at four different temperatures in the range of 1223–1473K for 2 h followed by water quenching. The effect of solution treatment temperature on the tensile properties of 316L was investigated by the instrumented indentation test using the modified indentation algorithm. Results reveal that the new modified indentation algorithm can be used to estimate the tensile properties of austenitic stainless steel with linear hardening.     

Effect of nitrogen on tensile flow behaviour of type 316 LN austenitic stainless steel

Abstract

The influence of nitrogen content on the tensile flow behaviour of type 316 LN austenitic stainless steel has been studied. Nitrogen content in the steel has been varied in the range 0·07 to 0·22 wt-%. Tensile tests were carried out over the temperature range of 300–1123 K at a nominal strain rate of 3×10^?3 s^?1. The tensile flow behaviour of the steels has been analysed based on the constitutive equation proposed by Voce. The Voce’s parameters of initial stress (σ_i) and saturation stress (σ_s) were found to increase linearly with increase in nitrogen content at all the test temperatures. Tensile properties of the steels were predicted from Voce constitutive equation parameters.     

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.     

Swelling of 316L austenitic stainless steel induced by plasma nitriding

Swelling of 316L austenitic stainless steel plasma nitrided at 400°C under floating potential has been investigated using electron back scattered diffraction and white-light interferometry. Swelling of individual grains strongly depends on their crystallographic orientation, similarly to the thickness of the nitrided layer. After 1 h of treatment, swelling is maximum for the 〈001〉 oriented grains and minimum for the 〈111〉 oriented grains. After 8 and 33 h of nitriding, the maximum of swelling is observed in the grains having their normal direction at about 15° from the 〈001〉 orientation. These results are discussed on the basis of plastic strain after comparison with calculated swellings of the 〈001〉 and 〈111〉 oriented grains, using the thickness of the nitrided layer deduced from the trapping–detrapping diffusion model and a rough estimation of the plastic strain. The satisfactory agreement between experimental and calculated swellings supports the idea that swelling results from the lattice expansion due to the incorporation of nitrogen plus an elastic strain and a plastic strain. For individual grains of the 316L matrix, nitriding leads to a tensile-like elongation of high magnitude (around 20%) and it might be the origin of the lattice rotations which were previously observed after nitriding.     

Fatigue crack initiation and crystallographic growth in 316L stainless steel

A mesoscale model of fatigue crack formation and stress–strain behavior in crystalline alloys entitled Sistaninia–Niffenegger Fatigue (SNF) model is applied to AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel. An inelastic hysteresis energy criterion in conjunction with continuum damage modeling provides a strong tool for studying the behavior of the austenitic steel under cyclic loading. The model predictions are validated against fatigue experimental data. The results show that this microstructural-based modeling approach is capable for predicting the behavior of the steel even under complex loading conditions. It can reproduce and help to understand well known fatigue experimental facts, e.g. the effect of grain size and initial defects, by considering the anisotropic behavior of crystalline materials at the level of the microstructure.     

Effect of thermo-mechanical processing on texture evolution in austenitic stainless steel 316L

In this study we implemented two rolling modes to investigate the strain path effect on deformation and annealing textures of austenitic stainless steel 316L. We applied unidirectional rolling and cross-rolling to achieve up to a 90% reduction in thickness. Results show that for deformed austenite, Brass, Goss and γ-fibre were the main texture components in the unidirectional rolled sample, while Brass was the dominant texture in the cross-rolled sample. In addition, rotated Copper and rotated Cube were the main textures of martensite after 90% reduction for unidirectional rolled and cross-rolled samples, respectively. Results also show that recrystallization texture has a direct correlation to that of deformed austenite since transformed martensite reversion was athermal. After recrystallization, Brass and a combination of Brass and Goss were the dominant textures for cross-rolled and unidirectional rolled samples, respectively.     

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.     

Irradiation behavior of nanostructured 316 austenitic stainless steel

In order to get information about radiation resistance of ultrafine grained austenitic stainless steels, a 316 steel was deformed by high pressure torsion. The mean diameter of the grain after deformation was 40 nm. This material was annealed at 350 °C for 24 h or irradiated with 160 keV iron ions at 350 °C. Changes in the microstructure during annealing or irradiation were characterised by transmission electron microscopy (grain size) and laser assisted tomographic atom probe (solute distribution). Results indicate that this annealing has no influence on the grain size whereas the grain diameter increases under irradiation. Concerning the solute distribution, atom probe investigations show evidence of radiation-induced segregation at grain boundaries. Indeed, after irradiation, grain boundaries are enriched in nickel and silicon and depleted in chromium. On the contrary, no intragranular extended defects or precipitation are observed after irradiation.     

316L奥氏体不锈钢中时效条件下析出相演变行为的研究

通过定量金相,SEM&EDS、TEM等实验技术分析316L奥氏体不锈钢中析出相随时效时间、温度的变化,并测定析出相的体积分数与尺寸.结合热力学计算表明:在316L奥氏体不锈钢中,经850℃时效处理后,析出相为M23C6型碳化物,且随着时效时间的延长,析出量明显增多,尺寸增大;经650℃时效处理100 h后,主要析出相类型为χ相.     

Tensile ductility and deformation mechanisms of a nanotwinned 316L austenitic stainless steel

A nanotwinned 316 L austenitic stainless steel was prepared by means of surface mechanical grinding treatment.After recovery annealing,the density of dislocations decreases obviously while the average twin/matrix lamella thickness still keeps in the nanometer scale.The annealed nanotwinned sample exhibits a high tensile yield strength of 771 MPa and a considerate uniform elongation of 8%.TEM observations showed that accommodating more dislocations and secondary twinning inside the nanotwins contribute to the enhanced ductility and work hardening rate of the annealed nanotwinned sample.     

Low-temperature carburised AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel: Wear and corrosion behaviour

Low temperature carburising (LTC) is a thermochemical treatment designed so as to achieve a good combination of wear and corrosion resistance in stainless and duplex steels. In this work, the influence of LTC on both corrosion and dry sliding behaviour of AISI 316L was investigated. LTC significantly enhanced surface hardness, due to the formation of the carbon-supersaturated S-phase. Consequently, the wear behaviour (evaluated against different countermaterials) improved, due to increased resistance to plastic deformation, as well as to decreased tendency towards adhesion. In order to evaluate the corrosion behaviour, electrochemical measurements were performed both in conventional environments and in reference conditions for the food industry. The results showed a significantly improved corrosion resistance in chloride environments, where the formation of a C-rich surface layer ennobles the treated steel, even though pitting corrosion was observed at very high anodic potentials. Conversely, the treated steel showed comparable (in acetic acid) or worse (in a sanitising solution) behaviour than the untreated one. In sulphuric acid the treated steel did not passivate, but it corroded at a limiting current density much lower that the critical current density for AISI 316L passivation.     

Influence of the microstructure on the corrosion resistance of plasma‐nitrided austenitic stainless steel 304L and 316L

Austenitic stainless steels are widely used in medical and food industries because of their excellent corrosion resistance. However, they suffer from weak wear resistance due to their low hardness. To improve this, plasma nitriding processes have been successfully applied to austenitic stainless steels, thereby forming a thin and very hard diffusion layer, the so‐called S‐phase. In the present study, the austenitic stainless steels AISI 304L and AISI 316L with different microstructures and surface modifications were used to examine the influence of the steel microstructure on the plasma nitriding behavior and corrosion properties. In a first step, solution annealed steel plates were cold‐rolled with 38% deformation degree. Then, the samples were prepared with three kinds of mechanical surface treatments. The specimens were plasma nitrided for 360 min in a H₂–N₂ atmosphere at 420 °C. X‐ray diffraction measurements confirmed the presence of the S‐phase at the sample surface, austenite and body centered cubic (bcc)‐iron. The specimens were comprehensively characterized by means of optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, surface roughness and nano‐indentation measurements to provide the formulation of dependencies between microstructure and nitriding behavior. The corrosion behavior was examined by potentio‐dynamic polarization measurements in 0.05 M and 0.5 M sulfuric acid and by salt spray testing.     

Microstructure and tensile properties of AISI 316 stainless steel electron-beam cladded on C40 mild steel

A 60 kV electron-beam equipment was used to clad an AISI 316 stainless steel plate on C40 plain carbon steel. A homogeneous coating of stainless steel was obtained. The microstructure of the clad layer consisted of delta-ferrite, austenite, M₆C carbide and martensite twinned on 112 crystal faces. The austenite has a heavily dislocated substructure and is characterized by intrinsic stacking faults. The crystallographic relationship between austenite and martensite was consistent with the Kurdjumov-Sachs relationship: {101} martensite{111} austenite and {111} martensite{101} austenite M₆C and austenite followed a relationship such as (110) M₆C(110) austenite and (111) M₆C(111) austenite.     

Mechanical properties of phosphate glass-ceramic-316 L stainless steel composites

Thermal, elastic and mechanical properties of phosphate glass-ceramic-316 L stainless steel particulate composites, prepared by flash-pressing, have been measured. Results have then been explained using various theoretical models. It is shown that particles partly shrink away from the matrix on cooling; this is due both to the slight thermal mismatch between glass-ceramic matrix and 316 L stainless steel particles and to poor bonding between both phases. This small partial shrinkage could explain both the fracture characteristics and the fair agreement between theoretical and experimental values of elastic moduli.     

表面纳米化对316L不锈钢性能的影响

对316L不锈钢进行表面机械研磨处理(SMAT),研究表面组织变化对其硬度和在0.5 mol/LNaCl介质中腐蚀性能的影响.结果表明:通过SMAT可以在316L不锈钢表面制备出纳米结构层,随着处理时间的增加,表面纳米晶组织逐渐由单一的奥氏体相过渡到奥氏体与马氏体两相共存;表面纳米化和马氏体相变能够明显地提高316L不锈钢的表层硬度,使表面粗糙度略有下降;表面机械研磨处理降低了316L不锈钢在0.5mol/L NaCl腐蚀介质中的耐蚀性能.因为316L不锈钢表面纳米晶组织容易钝化,形成的钝化膜不稳定,提高了溶解速度.