Serrated Flow in 316LN Austenitic Stainless Steel

Abstract

Serrated flow behavior of the 316LN austenitic stainless steel was investigated through tensile tests at initial strain rates of 2×10-5 to 10-4 s-1 at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 1048 K. Serrated flow occurred at room temperature and 6981048K at the strain rate of 2×10-4 s-1, as well as at temperatures of 623673 K at the strain rate of 2×10-5 s-1. Type A, A+B, C and E serrations appeared. The activation energy for the occurrence of serrated flow at high temperatures was about 327 kJ/mol. The dynamic strain aging caused by the interaction between substitutional solute Cr atoms and moving dislocations is considered as the mechanism of serrated flow at the temperatures higher than 973 K.