Abstract
The effect of irradiation on slip band formation and growth and micro-crack initiation behavior under low cycle fatigue in SUS316L austenitic stainless steel was investigated using accelerator-based proton irradiation and a low cycle fatigue test at room temperature in air. The mean space of the slip line in proton-irradiated specimens was 25-40% wider than that in the unirradiated specimens under the same number of cycles, possibly due to localized deformation by proton irradiation. The micro-crack initiation life of the proton-irradiated specimens was approximately 20% of that of the unirradiated specimens. The micro-crack initiation was observed at the grain boundary, twin boundary, slip band and triple junction regardless of the proton irradiation. The micro-crack initiation at twin boundary and slip band was enhanced by the irradiation, possibly due to localized deformation at the dislocation channel.
