EFFECTIVE STRESSES AND MICROSTRUCTURE IN CYCLICALLY DEFORMED 316L AUSTENITIC STAINLESS STEEL: EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND NITROGEN CONTENT

Abstract

Abstract— This paper reports a study on the factors influencing dislocation slip during cyclic deformation of 316L austenitic stainless steel. TEM investigations show that low temperature and interstitial nitrogen content favour planar slip and lead to higher erective stress values. Measurements of effective and internal stresses with the Handfield‐Dickson technique indicate that the contribution of nitrogen in the effective component is more important than that of temperature. It is deduced that nitrogen acts through a pinning effect, while low temperature exerts an effect on friction stress. The results also suggest that cyclic plasticity could modify the short range order leading to a redistribution of nitrogen.