Small Punch Test for the Evaluation of Thermal Aging Embrittlement of CF8 Duplex Stainless Steel

Small punch test was performed on CF8 duplex stainless steel aged at 370 and 400$^{\circ}C$ up to 5,000 h to evaluate the degree of the thermal aging embrittlement. At room temperature, the SP load-displacement curve was in a similar shape to those of ferritic steels and had a good reproducibility in spite of two-phase structure. The aging heat treatment resulted in a slight increase of the yield strength. As test temperature was lowered, the SP load showed a sudden drop followed by serrations before the SP specimen was fractured, resulting from the cracking of ferrite phase. The extent of thermal embrittlement was assessed in terms of the SP energy. Aging treatment at higher temperature led to a larger shift in the transition temperature and the corresponding change in the fracture mode. The main cause of the degradation was the embrittlement of ferrite phase. Additionally the phase boundary separation profoundly contributed to the degradation of the specimen aged at 400$^{\circ}C$.