Thermomechanical and Isothermal Fatigue Behavior of 316LN Stainless Steel with Varying Nitrogen Content

Abstract

Thermomechanical (TMF) and isothermal (IF) fatigue behavior of 316LN stainless steel alloyed with 0.07, 0.14, and 0.22 wt pct nitrogen is presented in this manuscript. In the TMF tests with temperature cycling in the range of 573 K to 873 K (300 °C to 600 °C), life decreased with increasing nitrogen content for both in-phase (IP) and out-of-phase (OP) cycling, with a peak at 0.07 wt pct N. In contrast, 0.14 wt pct N yielded maximum life under IF cycling carried out at 873 K (600 °C). Cyclic lives are seen to follow the sequence, IP-TMF i.e., increase in slip band density with a decrease in interband spacing) in combination with high tensile cyclic stresses that marred the beneficial effect of nitrogen content on TMF life.