• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.129-133
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• 2020

The outcomes of solution annealing and stress corrosion cracking in cold-worked 316L austenitic stainless steel have been studied using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and the slow strain rate test (SSRT) technique. The good compatibility with a high-temperature water environment allows 316L austenitic stainless steel to be widely adopted as an internal structural material in light water reactors. However, stress corrosion cracking (SCC) has recently been highlighted in the stainless steels used in commercial pressurized water reactor (PWR) plants. In this paper, SCC and inter granular cracking (IGC) are discussed on the basis of solution annealing in a chloride environment. It was found that the martensitic contents of cold-worked 316L stainless steel decreased as the solution annealing time was increased at a high temperature. Moreover, mode of SCC was closely related to use of a chloride environment. The results here provide evidence of the vital role of a chloride environment during the SCC of cold-worked 316L.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.784-791
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• 2019

In the present study, a series of tungsten austenitic stainless steel alloys have been developed by interchanging the molybdenum in standard SS316 by tungsten. This was done to minimize the long-life residual activation occurred in molybdenum and nickel after decommissioning of the power plant. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the prepared alloys are determined. For the sake of increasing multifunction property of such series of tungsten-based austenitic stainless steel alloys, gamma shielding properties were studied experimentally by means of NaI(Tl) detector and theoretically calculated by using the XCOM program. Moreover, fast neutrons macroscopic removal cross-section been calculated. The obtained combined mechanical, structural and shielding properties indicated that the modified austenitic stainless steel sample containing 1.79% tungsten and 0.64% molybdenum has preferable properties among all other investigated samples in comparison with the standard SS316. These properties nominate this new composition in several nuclear application domains such as, nuclear shielding domain.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.315-322
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• 2021

In this study, we investigate the variation in microstruture and mechanical property of austenitic 316L stainless steel during long-term material degradation. To simulate the material degradation, the AISI 316 steel was exposed to accelerate under a temperature of 600℃ for up to 10000 hours at each predetermined heat treatment time. As the long-term material degradation time increase, the grain shape was changed from polygonal grains with annealing twins to circular grains. Most twins distributed uniformly interior of grains are recovered and disappered with long-term material degradation. Also, the δ ferrite along grain boundaries decomposed and transformed into the σ phase resulting in decrease of elongation of austenitic 316L stainless steel.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.146-155
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• 2020

To elucidate the effect of heat inputs on phase transformation and resistance to intergranular corrosion of F316 austenitic stainless steel (ASS), thermodynamic calculations of each phase and time-temperature-transformation diagram were conducted using JMaPro simulation software, oxalic acid etch test, double-loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation test (DL-EPR), field emission scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy analyses of Cr carbide (Cr₂₃C₆), austenite phase and ferrite phase. F316 ASS containing a relatively low C content of 0.043 wt% showed a slightly sensitized microstructure (acceptably dual structure) due to a small amount of Cr carbide precipitated at heat affected zone irrespective of heat inputs. Based on results of DL-EPR test, although heat input was increased, the ratio of I_r to I_a was only increased very slightly due to a slight sensitization. Therefore, heat inputs have little influences on resistance to intergranular corrosion of F316 austenitic stainless steel containing 0.043 wt% C.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.111-120
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• 1998

To predict and evaluate metallurgical and mechanical behavior of th welds, it is essential to understand solidification behavior and microstructural evolution experienced in the welds, neither of which follows the equilibrium phase diagram because of rapid heating and cooling conditions. Metallurgical phenomena in austenitic stainless steel fusion welds, types 304, 309S, 316L, 321 and 304N, were investigated in this study. Autogenous GTA welding was performed on weld coupons, and primary solidification mode and phase distribution were investigated from the welds. Varestraint test was employed to evaluate solidification cracking susceptibilities of the alloys. GTA weld fusion zones in type 304, 321 and 304N stainless steels experienced primary ferrite solidification while those in type 309S primary austenite solidification. Type 316L exhibited a mixed type of primary ferrite and primary austenite solidification. The primary solidification mode strongly depended on $Cr_{eq}/Ni_{eq}$ ratio. In terms of solidification cracking susceptibility, type 309S that solidified as primary austenite exhibited high cracking susceptibility while the alloys experienced primary ferrite solidification showed low cracking susceptibility. The relative ranking in solidification cracking susceptibility was type 304=type 304N < type 321 < type 316L < type 309S.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.8-14
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• 2024

Austenitic stainless steel 316L has been used a lot of applications because of its high corrosion resistance and formability. In addition, copper brazing is employed to create complex shape of 316L stainless steel for various engineering parts. In such system, copper-based filler metals make galvanic cell at metal/filler metal interface, and it accelerates corrosion of stainless steel. Furthermore, Cu-rich region formed by diffused copper in austenitic stainless steel can promote a pitting corrosion. In this study, we used an ammonia (NH₃) gas to nitride the 316L stainless steel for improving the corrosion resistance. The thickness of the nitride (nitrogen high) layer increased with the treatment temperature, and the surface hardness also increased. The potentiodynamic polarization test showed the improvement of corrosion resistance of 316L stainless steel by enhancing the passivation on nitride layer. However, in case of high temperature nitriding, a chromium nitride was formed and its fraction increased, so that the corrosion resistance was decreased compared to the intact 316L stainless steel.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.610-613
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• 2020

Specimens of austenitic stainless steel were irradiated with 6 MeV Xe ions to two doses of 7 and 15 dpa at room temperature and 300 ℃ respectively. Then partial irradiated specimens were subsequently thermally annealed at 550 ℃. Irradiation-induced BCC-phase formation and magnetism were analyzed by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). It has been shown that irradiation damage level, irradiation temperature and annealing temperature have significant effect on BCC-phase formation. This BCC-phase changes the magnetic behavior of austenitic stainless steel. The stress relief and compositional changes in matrix are the driving forces for BCC-phase formation in austenitic stainless steel during ion irradiation.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.357-362
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• 2008

The 2-step low temperature plasma processes (the combined carburizing and post-nitriding) were carried out for improving both the surface hardness and corrosion resistance of AISI 316L stainless steel. The effects of processing time and temperature on the surface properties during nitriding step were investigated. The expanded austenite (${\gamma}_N$) was formed on all of the treated surface. The thickness of ${\gamma}_N$ was increased up to about $20{\mu}m$ and the thickness of entire hardened layer was determined to be about $40{\mu}m$. The surface hardness reached up to $1,200HV_{0.1}$ which is about 5 times higher than that of untreated sample ($250HV_{0.1}$). The thickness of ${\gamma}_N$ and concentration of N on the surface were increased with increasing processing time and temperature. The corrosion resistance in 2-step low temperature plasma processed austenitic stainless steels was enhanced more than that in the untreated austenitic stainless steels due to a high concentration of N on the surface.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.42-50
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• 1995

To study the effect of welding methods on the Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) behavior of welded AISI type 316L and 304 austenitic stainless steel, the Slow Strain Rate Technique(SSRT) has been adopted in the boiling 45 wt% $MgCl_2$ solution. The results are as follows. 1) Welded sections are more susceptible than base metal in SCC, and the rank of SCC, and the rasistance in welding method is TIG, MIG, $CO_2$ and ARC. 2) The Ultimate tensile strength(UTS) and the strain of both base metal and welded joint are reduced as decreasing extension rate. 3) The SCC resistance of 316L base metal and welded sections are superior than that of 304. 4) The tendency of pitting and the SCC suseptibility are agreed well, and the SCC site is welded deposit section in 316L whereas HAZ in 304.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.54-60
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• 2016

In order to quantitatively evaluate the solidification cracking susceptibility in laser welds of three types of austenitic stainless steels (type 310: A mode, type 316-A: AF mode, type 316-B: FA mode solidifications), the laser beam welding (LBW) transverse-Varestraint tests consisted of multi-mode fiber laser, welding robot and hydraulic pressure system were performed. As the welding speed increased from 1.67 to 40.0 mm/s, the solidification brittle temperature range (BTR) of laser welds for type 316 stainless steels enlarged (316-A: from 37 to 46 K, 316-B: from 14 to 40 K), while the BTR for type 310 stainless steel reduced from 146 to 120 K. In other words, it founds that solidification cracking susceptibility could not be simply mitigated through application of LBW process, and the BTR variation behavior is quite different upon solidification mode of austenitic stainless steels.