Mechanical Properties of SUS304 Stainless Steel Under Cold Thermal Cycles

Abstract

A cold thermal cyclic test between a room and a cryogenic temperature under a thermal deformation restraint was conducted on an austenitic stainless steel (SUS304) which is popularly used for the cryogenic equipment or structures. SUS304 stainless steel was yielded by reducing the temperature to about 50K. and reverse yielded by the warming process. These hysteresis loops in the stress-strain curves obtained under the cold thermal cycles suggest that SUS304 stainless steel has the potential to cause cold thermal fatigue failure. Therefore thermal fatigue must be considered in the design of cryogenic structures especially in the case where a stress concentration exists and uniform cooling is applied.