• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.435-450
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• 2021

The interest in eco-friendly energy is increasing, and polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is attracting attention as alternative power sources. Research on metallic bipolar plates, a fuel cell component, is being actively conducted. However, since the operating conditions of PEMFC, in which sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) and hydrofluoric acid (HF) are mixed, are strong acidity, the durability of the metallic bipolar plate is very important. In this research, the electrochemical characteristics and corrosion damage behavior of 316L stainless steel, a material for metallic bipolar plates, were analyzed through potentiostatic corrosion tests with test times and chloride concentrations. As the test times and chloride concentrations increased, the current density and corrosion damage increased. As a result of observation with scanning electron microscope(SEM) and 3D microscope, both the depth and width of pitting corrosion increased with increases in test times and chloride concentrations. In particular, the pitting corrosion damage depth at test conditions of 6 hours and 1000 ppm chloride increased the most. The growth of the pitting corrosion damage was not directly proportional to time and increased significantly after a certain period.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.1377-1380
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• 2008

An irradiation test of a nuclear fuel rod having external and internal tube structure was planned for a performance. To establish fabrication process satisfying the requirements of irradiation test, micro-TIG welding system for fuel rods was developed, and preliminary welding experiments for optimizing process conditions of fuel rod was performed. Fuel rods with 15.9mm diameter and 0.57mm wall thickness of cladding tubes and end caps have been used and optimum conditions of endcap welding have been selected. In this experiment, the qualification test was performed by tensile tests, helium leak inspections, and metallography examinations to qualify the endcap welding procedure. The soundness of the welds quality of a dual cooled fuel rods has been confirmed by mechanical tests and microstructural examinations.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.3-9
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• 2011

Plasma nitriding of stainless steels has been investigated over a range of temperature from 400 to $500^{\circ}C$ and time from 10 to 20 hours. Characterization of systematic materials was carried out in terms of mechanical properties and corrosion behaviors. The results showed that plasma nitriding conducted at low temperatures not only increased the surface hardness, but also improved the corrosion resistance of STS 316L, STS409L, and STS 420J2. It was found that plasma-nitriding treatment at $500^{\circ}C$ resulted in increasing the corrosion performance of STS 409L and STS 420J2, while STS 316L was observed with server and massive damage on surface due to the formation of CrN.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.78-82
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• 2003

Nitrided compound layer and diffusion layer structure were observed by SEM. The compound layer and the constituent of nitrided surface of STS 304, STS 316, STS 410 and SACM 645 steel were analysed using EMPA and XRD respectively. The depth of nitriding layer that is obtained from similar nitriding condition decrease in the order of SACM 645 > STS 410 > STS 316 > STS 304. Result of phase transformation of the nitrided at $550^{\circ}C$ by XRD analysis were as follows; The austenitic stainless steel was mainly consist of $Cr_2N$ accompanying with $Fe_4N$ and $Fe_{2-3}N$ phase and martensitic stainless steel was mainly consist of present $Fe_{2-3}N+Cr_2N$ phase, but SACM 645 steel was $Fe_{2-3}N$ phase present only.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.210-215
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• 2017

In this study, STS316L powders prepared by gas atomization are used to manufacture bulk structures with dimensions of $10{\times}10{\times}10mm^3$ using selective laser melting (SLM). The microstructures and hardness of the fabricated 316L stainless steel has been investigated with the laser beam overlap varied from 10% to 70%. The microstructures of the fabricated STS316L samples show a decrease in the balling and satellite of powders introducing defect in the bulk samples and the porosity caused by the gap between the molten metal pools disappearing as the overlap ratio increases, whereas a low overlap ratio results in significant balling and a large amount of isolated powders due to the increased gap between the melt pools. Furthermore, the highest value in Vickers hardness is obtained for the sample fabricated by 30% overlapped laser beams. These results show that the overlap ratio of laser beams in the SLM process should be considered as an important process parameter.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.48 no.12
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• pp.1090-1096
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• 2010

This pitting corrosion study of welded joints of austenitic stainless steels (AISI 304L and 316L) has addressed the differentiating solidification mode using three newly introduced filler wires with a flux-cored arc welding process (FCAW). The delta ferrite (${\delta}$-ferrite) content in the welded metals increased with an increasing equivalent weight ratio of chromium/nickel ($Cr_{eq}/Ni_{eq}$). Ductility dip cracking (DDC) was observed in the welded metal containing ferrite with none of AISI 304L and 0.1% of AISI 316L. The potentiodynamic anodic polarization results revealed that the $Cr_{eq}/Ni_{eq}$ ratio in a 3.5% NaCl solution didn't much affect the pitting potential ($E_{pit}$). The AISI 316L welded metals with ${\ddot{a}}$-ferrite content of over 10% had a superior $E_{pit}$ value. Though the AISI 316L welded metal with 0.1% ferrite had larger molybdenum contents than AISI 304L specimens, it showed a similar $E_{pit}$ value because the concentration of chloride ions and the corrosion product induced severe damage near the DDC.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.270-278
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• 2018

STS 316L prepared by additive manufacturing (AM) exhibits deterioration of mechanical properties and wear resistance due to the presence of defects such as black-of-fusion defects, internal porosity, residual stress, and anisotropy. In addition, high surface roughness (integrity) of AM products remains an issue. This study aimed to apply ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) technology to STS 316L prepared by AM to increase the surface hardness, to reduce the surface roughness, and to improve the friction and wear behavior to the level achieved by bulk material manufactured using traditional processes. Herein, the as-received and polished specimens were treated by UNSM technology and their resulting properties were compared and discussed. The results showed that UNSM technology increased the surface hardness and reduced the surface roughness of the as-received and polished specimens. These results can be attributed to grain size refinement and pore elimination from the surface. Moreover, the friction of the as-received and polished specimens after UNSM technology was lower compared to those of the as-received and polished specimens, but no significant differences in wear resistance were found.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.118-124
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• 2008

Abstract: A minimum commitment method(MCM) was applied to predict the long-term creep rupture life for type 316LN stainless steel(SS). Lots of the creep-rupture data for the type 316LN SS were collected through world-wide literature surveys and the experimental data of KAERI. Using these data, the long-term creep rupture life above ${10}^5$ hour was predicted by means of the MCM. In order to obtain the most appropriate value for the constant A being used in the MCM equation, trial and error method was used for the wide ranges from -0.12 to 0.12, and the best value was determined by using the coefficient of determination, $R^2$ which is a statistical parameter. A suitable value for the A in type 316LN stainless steel was found to be at -0.02 ~ -0.05 ranges. It is considered that the MCM will be superior in creep-life prediction to commonly-used timetemperature parametric method, because the P(T) and G($\sigma$) functions are determined from the regression method based on experimental data.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.271-278
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• 2017

This study was carried out to investigate the relationship between the mechanical properties and damping capacity of thermo-mechanical treated 316L stainless steel. Dislocations, ${\varepsilon}$ and ${\alpha}^{\prime}$-martensites were formed by thermo-mechanical treatment, and the grain size was changed from micrometer to sub-micrometer by 5-cycled thermo-mechanical treatment. The volume fraction of dislocations, ${\varepsilon}$ and ${\alpha}^{\prime}$-martensites was increased, and grain size of austenite increased and lengthened by the with increasing cycle number of thermo-mechanical treatment. In 5-cycled specimens, the volume fraction of ${\alpha}^{\prime}$-martensite was more than 25% and the less than 5% of volume fraction of ${\varepsilon}$-martensite was attained. With increasing number of thermo-mechanical treatment, hardness, strength and damping capacity were increased, but elongation was decreased. Damping capacity was increased with increased hardness and strength, but decreased with increased elongation, and this result was the opposite tendency for general metal.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.122-130
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• 2009

Austenitic oxide-dispersion-strengthened (ODS) stainless steel was fabricated using a wet mixing process without a mechanical milling in order to reduce contaminations of impurities during their fabrication process. Solution of yttrium nitrate was dried after a wet mixing with 316L stainless steel powder. Carbon and oxygen contents were effectively reduced by this wet processing. Microstructural analysis showed that coarse yttrium silicates of about 150 nm were formed in austenitic ODS steels with a silicon content of about 0.8 wt%. Wet-processed austenitic ODS steel without silicon showed higher yield strength by the presence of finer oxide of about 20 nm.