Gradient Elastic–Plastic Properties of Expanded Austenite Layer in 316L Stainless Steel

The gradient mechanical properties, variation of stress with strain and surface cracking behavior of expanded austenite developed on 316L austenitic stainless steel were investigated by nanoindentation tests, X-ray residual stress analysis and scanning electron microscope observation in four-point bending tests. The results show that the plastic properties of the carburizing layer including true initial yield strengths and strain hardening exponents increase significantly from substrate to surface, while the true elastic modulus just improves slightly. Due to the onset of plastic flow, the residual stresses are almost equivalent to the true initial yield strengths from surface to the depth of ～10 lm. The results of four-point bending tests show that surface stress increases linearly with the increase in strain until the strain reaches～1.0%, after that the plastic yield happens. The expanded austenite surface layer is brittle, and the cracks will be created at the strain of ～1.4%.The cracking stress is about～2.4 GPa.

A Mathematical Model and Simulations of Low Temperature Nitriding Katarzyna Tkacz-Smiech Deceased.We dedicate this article to the memory of Professor Katarzyna Tkacz-Smiech

Low-temperature nitriding of steel or iron can produce an expanded austenite phase,which is a solid solution of a large amount of nitrogen dissolved interstitially in fcc lattice.It is characteristic that the nitogen depth profiles in expanded austenite exhibit plateau-type shapes.Such behavior cannot be considered with a standard analytic solution for diffusion in a semi-infinite solid and a new approach is necessary.We formulate a model of interdiffusion in viscoelastic solid(Maxwellmodel)during the nitriding process.It combines themass conservation and Vegard’s rule with the Darken bi-velocity method.The model is formulated in any dimension,i.e.,a mixture is included in R^(n),n=1,2,3.For the system in one dimension,n=1,we transform a differential-algebraic system of 5 equations to a differential system of 2 equations only,which is better to study numerically and analytically.Such modification allows the formulation of effective mixed-type boundary conditions.The resulting nonlinear strongly coupled parabolic-elliptic differential initial-boundary Stefan type problem is solved numerically and a series of simulations is made.