Influence of Heat Treatment on Mercury Cavitation Resistance of Surface Hardened 316LN Stainless Steel

Technical Report · Mon Nov 01 04:00:00 EDT 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/992113· OSTI ID:992113

Pawel, Steven J ^[1]; Hsu, Julia ^[2]

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1. ORNL
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

The cavitation-erosion resistance of carburized 316LN stainless steel was significantly degraded but not destroyed by heat treatment in the temperature range 500-800 C. The heat treatments caused rejection of some carbon from the carburized layer into an amorphous film that formed on each specimen surface. Further, the heat treatments encouraged carbide precipitation and reduced hardness within the carburized layer, but the overall change did not reduce surface hardness fully to the level of untreated material. Heat treatments as short as 10 min at 650 C substantially reduced cavitation-erosion resistance in mercury, while heat treatments at 500 and 800 C were found to be somewhat less detrimental. Overall, the results suggest that modest thermal excursions perhaps the result of a weld made at some distance to the carburized material or a brief stress relief treatment will not render the hardened layer completely ineffective but should be avoided to the greatest extent possible.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
• Sponsoring Organization: SC USDOE - Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 992113
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-2010/212; KC0402010; ERKCSND
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CARBIDES
CARBON
CAVITATION
HARDNESS
HEAT TREATMENTS
MERCURY
PRECIPITATION
STAINLESS STEELS