Influence of the crystalline texture on the fatigue behavior of a 316L austenitic stainless steel

The dependence of cyclic behavior, fatigue crack initiation and fatigue life, on crystallographic texture was investigated for a 316L austenitic stainless steel in the low cycle fatigue range. Specimens of five different orientations of the rolled sheet were compared to study different textures. It is shown that, texture influences the stress–strain response of the material and the fatigue damage (crack density). Moreover, to study the influence of the environment on the fatigue behavior and the coupling effects with crystallographic aspects, fatigue tests were performed in air and in vacuum. It is shown that the environment modifies both the total crack density and the ratio of transgranular to intergranular cracks. All results are discussed with regard to the relative fraction of 〈111〉 and 〈100〉 grains oriented for multiple slip or to the fraction of grains favoring single slip behavior.