High temperature fatigue behavior of 23Cr26Ni heat resistant steel

The influence of the cooling condition after solution treatment on the high temperature fatigue resistance of 23Cr-26Ni heat resistant steel was investigated. Two different cooling conditions were applied to the steel after solution treatment at 1230°C for 3 hours. One specimen was water quenched immediately after the solution treatment. The other one was furnace cooled at a rate of 0.5°C/min down to 750°C after the solution treatment. Then, both specimens were aged at 750°C for 5 hours. The low cycle fatigue (LCF) test was conducted to investigate the influence of high temperature on the LCF behaviors of the heat-resistant 23Cr26Ni alloy. Under two different heat treatment conditions, the LCF test was performed at total strain amplitudes ranging from ±0.4-0.9% at room temperature (RT) and 600°C. During the test, initial cyclic hardening occurred at both experimental temperatures. This phenomenon was attributed to the increase in the dislocation density due to cyclic deformation, which resulted in the interaction between the newly created dislocations and precipitates. Cyclic softening was observed in the later stages of the LCF test at RT. The formation of precipitates and increase in the dislocation density were observed using TEM. Also, the XRD and EDS techniques were used to verify the type and composition of the precipitates.