X-ray fractography studies on austenitic stainless steels

✍ Scribed by K. Rajanna; B. Pathiraj; B.H. Kolster

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 796 KB
• Volume: 54
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0013-7944
• DOI: 10.1016/0013-7944(95)00246-4

✦ Synopsis

In this investigation, the fracture surfaces of SS 304 and SS 316 austenitic steels were analysed using the X-ray fractography technique. In both cases, a decrease in the austenite content was observed at the fracture surface as a result of deformation induced martensite, indicating a linear relation with Km~ within the stable crack growth region. The presence of this martensite was found to be confined to a very thin layer close to the fracture surface. The magnitudes of the residual stress (trr) as well as the profile breadth (B) as a function of Km~x in martensite were found to be higher than in austenite, with greater differences in SS 304 than in SS 316. In both the steels a gradual decrease of trr with depth below the fracture surface was noticed. While a gradual decrease of B was noticed in SS 304, a shallow minimum was noticed at a depth of about 100 am in SS 316.