TY  - JOUR
T2  - Journal of Mining and Metallurgy, Section B: Metallurgy
TI  - Influence of crack morphology on creep-stage modelling of 316L(N) austenitic stainless steels
VL  - 62
IS  - 2
SP  - 257
EP  - 266
PY  - 2026
DA  - 14 September 2026
DO  - 10.2298/JMMB260507019O
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2298/JMMB260507019O
AU  - Ozdemira, Oguz Berk
AD  - Hacettepe University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Nuclear Energy Engineering, Ankara, Türkiye;
AB  - The creep behavior of a reference 316L(N) grade and a modified 316L(N) grade with adjusted minor alloying elements, mainly N, Nb, and B (Steel A), was investigated at 575 °C and 310 MPa. The strain–time response was analyzed across primary, steady-state, and tertiary creep stages. Steel A exhibited a rupture life of 9203 h, compared with 649 h for the reference steel. Optical microscopy, SEM, and X-ray tomography revealed narrow wedge-type cracks in the reference steel, whereas Steel A developed thicker, more rounded R-type cracks. The Estrin–Mecking approach described the primary and steady-state stages, while Ganesan’s damage-tolerance factor and Yin’s cavity-growth model were used for the tertiary stage. The damage-tolerance parameter ? increased from 3.6 to 4.6. In the Estrin–Mecking analysis, the fitted internal-stress parameters increased from 215 to 239 MPa for the reference steel and from 230 to 253 MPa for Steel A. These results indicate that crack morphology should be considered when interpreting tertiary creep model parameters, particularly when models are based on different damage assumptions.
KW  - 316L(N) stainless steel
KW  - Creep modeling
KW  - Crack morphology
KW  - Creep stages
KW  - Internal stress
KW  - Damage-tolerance factor (?)
N1  - Correspondence Address: Oguz Berk Ozdemir; Hacettepe University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Nuclear Energy Engineering, Ankara, Türkiye; email: oguzberkozdemir@hacettepe.edu.tr
N1  - J. Min. Metall. Sect. B-Metall., 62 (2) (2026) 257-266. doi:10.2298/JMMB260507019O
PB  - Technical Faculty in Bor
SN  - 1450-5339 (ISSN)
LA  - English
J2  - J. Min. Metall. Sect. B Metall.
M3  - Article
ER  -