Mechanical Characterization of Fatigue and Cyclic Plasticity of 304L Stainless Steel at Elevated Temperature

Background The mechanical characterization of the cyclic elastoplastic response of structural materials at elevated temperatures is crucial for understanding and predicting the fatigue life of components in nuclear reactors. Objective In this study, a comprehensive mechanical characterization of 304L stainless steel has been performed including metallography, tensile tests, fatigue tests, fatigue crack growth tests and cyclic stress-strain tests. Methods Isothermal tests were conducted at both room temperature and 300 °C for both the rolling direction and the transverse direction of the hot rolled steel. Mechanical properties were extracted from the uniaxial experiments by fitting relevant material models to the data. The cyclic plasticity behavior has been modelled with a radial return-mapping algorithm that utilizes the Voce nonlinear isotropic hardening model in combination with the Armstrong-Frederick nonlinear kinematic hardening model. The plasticity models are available in commercial FE software and accurately capture the stabilized hysteresis loops, including a substantial Bauschinger effect. Results The material exhibits near isotropic properties, but its mechanical performance is generally reduced at high temperatures. Specifically, in the rolling direction, the Young’s modulus is reduced by 16 % at 300 °C, the yield strength at 0.2 % plastic strain is lower by 23 %, and the ultimate tensile strength is lower by 30 % compared to room temperature. Fatigue life is also decreased, leading to an accelerated fatigue crack growth rate compared to room temperature. A von Mises radial return mapping algorithm proves to be effective in accurately modelling the cyclic plasticity of the material. The algorithm has also been used to establish a clear correlation between energy dissipation per cycle and cycles to failure, leading to the proposal of an energy-based fatigue life prediction model. Conclusions The material exhibits reduced mechanical performance at elevated temperatures, with decreased monotonic strength, compared to room temperature. Fatigue life is also compromised, resulting in accelerated fatigue crack growth. The material’s hardening behavior differs at room temperature and elevated temperature, with lower peak stress values observed at higher temperatures. The radial return mapping algorithm can be used to determine the dissipated energy per cycle which together with fatigue testing has been used to propose a low cycle fatigue life predicti