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Effects of Pressurized Water Reactor Environment and Cyclic Loading Parameters on the Low Cycle Fatigue Behavior of 316L Stainless Steel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle in a proceedings journalScientificpeer-review

Abstract

Austenitic stainless steels used in light water reactor coolant environments can be susceptible to environmentally assisted fatigue due to non-monotonic loading conditions. Effects of a pressurized water reactor (PWR) environment containing hydrogen and cyclic loading parameters on the low cycle fatigue (LCF) behavior of 316L stainless steel were investigated by comprehensive striation spacing evaluation. The exposure to a PWR environment results in a decreased LCF lifetime, an enhanced fatigue crack initiation, and an accelerated fatigue crack growth rate of 316L austenitic stainless steel. The effect of the loading waveform (periodic underload PUL, periodic overload POL, and constant amplitude sawtooth CA) was also evaluated. PUL reduces the low cycle fatigue lifetime, accelerates the fatigue crack growth rate, and advances the cycle where initiation of fatigue crack occurs compared to CA loading.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)279-284
Number of pages6
JournalProcedia Structural Integrity
Volume68
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2025
MoE publication typeA4 Article in a conference publication
Event24th European Conference on Fracture, ECF 2024 - Zagreb, Croatia
Duration: 26 Aug 202430 Aug 2024

Funding

This project has received funding from the Euratom research and training program 2019-2020 under grant agreement No. 945300. The authors would also like to acknowledge and sincerely thank the INCEFA-SCALE Project partners for their contributions to this work.

Keywords

  • austenitic stainless steel
  • environmentally assisted fatigue
  • hydrogen
  • Low cycle fatigue
  • pressurized water reactor

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