Cyclic Stress in 316L Austenitic Stainless Steel at Low Temperatures

Austenitic stainless steel was cycled at a series of temperatures in the interval from 296 K to 113 K. Constant plastic strain amplitude loading at different levels of plastic strain amplitude and testing similar to multiple step test method were applied at different temperatures. The stress amplitude was continually recorded and selected hysteresis loops were stored and later analyzed using statistical theory of the hysteresis loop. Effective stress component and probability density function as a function of temperature were evaluated. The results were discussed in terms of the temperature dependence of the cyclic yield stress and its sources.