Abstract
Thin tensile specimens of 316L-type austenitic stainless steel were tested either at room temperature after cathodic charging or whilst undergoing cathodic charging. Throughout this study we have compared solution-annealed samples with samples given the additional sensitization treatment. The results of the tensile tests show that the room temperature yield and ultimate strengths were not much affected by sensitization, whilst significant reduction in the ductility was observed depending on the heat treatment and the method of charging. The specimens tested while undergoing cathodic charging showed 21% reduction of elongation at-fracture for the annealed specimens and 49% reduction of elongation for the sensitized specimens. The fracture surfaces of the specimens tested while cathodically charged show considerable differences between the annealed and the sensitized specimens. The sensitized specimens were predominantly intergranular, while the fracture of annealed specimens showed massive regions of microvoid coalescence producing ductile rupture. The results were correlated with the presence or absence of the martensite phases determined by means of a ferrite detector and transmission electron microscopy studies.
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