Creep behavior of AISI 316 stainless steel above 0.5 T M

Abstract

AISI 316 austenitic stainless steel possesses a number of desirable properties, such as excellent high-temperature strength and corrosion resistance, for high temperature application. On the other hand, losses in tensile strength and fracture toughness after long-term use at high temperatures limit widespread applications of 316 stainless steel. In an effort to overcome these problems, researchers have made significant efforts to develop 316 stainless steel with improved high-temperature mechanical properties and efficiency. Recently, AISI 316 stainless steel has been focused on as the leading candidate of the structural materials in fusion reactors with their ever increasing demands on materials with high-temperature capability and good compatibility with coolant and irradiation properties. The main objective of the present paper is to report the static and cyclic creep behaviors of AISI 316 stainless steel at stresses between 206 and 285 MPa above 0.5 T[sub M] (melting temperature in Kelvin), i.e., steady state creep rate, stress exponent and activation energy for creep, and Larson-Miller parameters, as well as determine the creep deformation mechanisms.