Influence of Prior Fatigue Damage on Tensile Properties of 316L(N) Stainless Steel and Modified 9Cr-1Mo Steel

In the current study, the effect of prior low-cycle fatigue (LCF) damage on the tensile properties of 316L(N) stainless steel (SS) and modified 9Cr-1Mo steel were systematically investigated. The LCF tests were interrupted at 5, 10, 30, and 50 pct of the total fatigue life followed by tensile tests on the same specimens at the same strain rate (3 × 10⁻³ s⁻¹) and temperatures of 300 K, 823 K, and 873 K (27 °C, 550 °C, and 600 °C). Prior strain cycling at elevated temperatures had remarkable effect on the tensile properties of both cyclically hardening and cyclically softening materials. An exponential relationship between the yield stress and the amount of pre-strain cycles is obtained for both the materials. The initial drastic change in the yield strength values up to 10 pct of fatigue life may be due to the microstructural changes that lead to hardening or softening in 316L(N) SS and modified 9Cr-1Mo steel, respectively. Saturation in the yield strength values beyond 10 pct of fatigue life has practical importance for remnant fatigue life assessment. Evolution of fatigue damage in both the 316L(N) SS and modified 9Cr-1Mo steel was analyzed using the surface replica technique.