Title: Modelling of grain growth and its effect on mechanical properties of stainless steel components

Authors: Siva Shankar Alla; Hemantha Kumar Yeddu

Addresses: School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK ' School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK

Abstract: A 2D phase-field model is developed to study the grain growth behaviour and the effect of simulation parameters on grain growth. The effect of nitrogen on grain growth in 316LN stainless steels is studied by using phenomenological models, viz. Sellars and Beck's models. The grain size-dependent yield strength values are used in the macroscale finite element simulations to predict the critical internal pressure required for yielding of an inlet nozzle of a nuclear reactor. Phase-field simulations show that the grain growth follows the relation D = Ctⁿ. The phenomenological models show that the increase in nitrogen content gives rise to smaller grains and hence increases the yield strength of steels. The macroscale simulations show that the steels with higher nitrogen can withstand higher critical pressure.

Keywords: phase-field model; grain growth; finite element simulations; stainless steels; Sellars model; Beck's model; inlet nozzle; nuclear reactor; nitrogen concentration; annealing.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCMSSE.2021.118500

International Journal of Computational Materials Science and Surface Engineering, 2021 Vol.10 No.2, pp.101 - 111

Received: 13 Dec 2020
Accepted: 23 Apr 2021
Published online: 27 Oct 2021 *

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