Abstract
The nitrogen-containing austenitic stainless steel 316LN has been chosen as the material for nuclear main-pipe, which is one of the key parts in 3rd generation nuclear power plants. In this research, a constitutive model of nitrogen-containing austenitic stainless steel is developed. The true stress-true strain curves obtained from isothermal hot compression tests over a wide range of temperatures (900–1250°C) and strain rates (10−3–10 s−1), were employed to study the dynamic deformational behavior of and recrystallization in 316LN steels. The constitutive model is developed through multiple linear regressions performed on the experimental data and based on an Arrhenius-type equation and Zener-Hollomon theory. The influence of strain was incorporated in the developed constitutive equation by considering the effect of strain on the various material constants. The reliability and accuracy of the model is verified through the comparison of predicted flow stress curves and experimental curves. Possible reasons for deviation are also discussed based on the characteristics of modeling process.
Highlights
A nuclear main-pipe is a thick-walled steel tube that connects the reactor pressure vessel (RPV), steam generator, and reactor coolant pump
The purpose of this study is to develop a constitutive model that can be used to predict the flow stress of 316LN steel during hotworking
The peaks on the flow stress curves, which indicate that dynamic recrystallization took place, can be observed only at relatively high temperatures (1000–1250uC) and low strain rates (1023– 1021 s21)
Summary
A nuclear main-pipe is a thick-walled steel tube that connects the reactor pressure vessel (RPV), steam generator, and reactor coolant pump. It is one of the seven first-class key parts of nuclear power plants [1]. A material with good corrosion resistance should be used to build the main-pipe [2]. Compared with TP 316L, the strength and work hardening capability are improved as a result of the addition of nitrogen. Corrosion resistance is improved as the carbon content is lowered. Nitrogen additions enhance other qualities of the 316LN steel, such as resistance to pitting corrosion, crevice corrosion, and intercrystalline corrosion [3,4]
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