Polycrystalline plasticity analysis of cyclic loading and stress relaxation in 316H austenitic stainless steel

The mechanical behavior of 316H austenitic stainless steel is investigated in this study under cyclic strain-controlled loading with and without hold periods at elevated temperatures. Understanding the low-cycle fatigue (LCF) and fatigue-creep interaction (FCI) characteristics is essential for ensuring the structural performance and safety of reactor components, particularly under conditions typical of modular and generation IV reactors. The new generation of nuclear power plants require more resistant and durable materials as the operating environments impose significantly higher demands, including increased neutron irradiation levels and elevated operating temperatures, leading to accelerated material degradation. A combined isotropic-kinematic hardening model within a crystal plasticity framework is employed to capture the cyclic and time-dependent mechanical response of the material. Model parameters are calibrated by fitting cyclic loading simulation results to experimental data at 550°C using polycrystalline representative volume elements (RVE). Strain-controlled uniaxial loading simulations are performed to analyze peak stress evolution throughout cyclic loading and stress relaxation behavior during strain-hold periods. The RVE simulation results are in strong agreement with experiments under LCF loading. For the loading with strain-holds, stress relaxation during hold periods exhibits two distinct stages: an initial rapid decay followed by a steady decline, both of which are captured in simulations. Beyond the macroscopic response, analyses reveal the heterogeneous evolution of field variables at the microstructural level, as strain hardening during loading and stress relaxation during hold periods varied across grains due to their crystal orientations and interactions with neighboring grains. These findings enhance the understanding of high-temperature mechanical behavior at both macroscopic and microstructural scales, contributing to the efforts for the design, operation, and life extension of nuclear reactor components.