ANALYSIS OF FRACTURE THROUGH TENSION AND TORSION OF 316L STAINLESS STEEL

Stainless steels have many applications at industrial scale and are used more and more for functional parts. In part of them tensile and torsion forces are applied and fracture can occur. Structural analysis of 316L steel was made after fracture through tensile and torsion of the samples. Torsion force was from both sides equally applied using a patented dispositive. Scanning electron microscopy (2D and 3D SEM), optical microscopy (LOM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to evaluate the fractures obtained through tensile and torsion. The results reveal the appearance of two or three areas in the fractures of the steel with different grain orientations or extraction holes. We are discussing marine steel type 316 that is expecially used for the marine area, exposed at an extremely corrosive saline environment. After torsion tests it was observed that in the homogeneous structure in terms of chemical elements there are areas where there are Cr and Mn carbides that generate the appearance of microcracks.