The effects of grain boundary precipitates on cryogenic properties of aged 316-type stainless steels

It is documented that sensitization in stainless steels results from the formation of grain boundary carbides that deplete the Cr in the vicinities of the grain boundaries. Sensitized austenitic stainless steels become brittle at cryogenic temperatures. Low carbon stainless steels are considered to be resistant to aging embrittlement. Our study of low carbon stainless steels demonstrates that aging at sensitization temperatures results in the formation of grain boundary intermetallic compounds or nitrides instead of carbides. The aging marginally change the 4 K yield strength, but decreases the 4 K stress intensity factor. The change of the yield strength is related to the pinning of the dislocations by solute atoms. The reduction of the stress intensity factor is attributed to the formation of the grain boundary precipitates. The sizes and amount of the grain boundary precipitate are so small that the 4 K crack growth rate at small ΔK is not affected.