Shear mechanical properties of AISI 316L stainless steel processed by unidirectional/cross rolling and annealing treatment

The effects of cold rolling routes followed by annealing on the mechanical properties of AISI 316L stainless steel were characterized. Both unidirectional and cross rolling methods were applied and the evolutions of shear mechanical properties by shear punch testing (SPT) and hardness during reversion/recrystallization annealing were systematically investigated. It was revealed that cross rolling promotes strain-induced martensitic transformation during rolling and also enhances grain refinement during annealing, leading to improved hardness and ultimate shear strength (USS). The variation of USS with annealing time was similar to that of Vickers hardness (HV), so that the simple and useful equation of USS = 0.196HV was derived. Moreover, by relating the USS to the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) via von Mises criterion, the finalized equation of HV = 2.95UTS was obtained, confirming the empirical formula of HV = 3UTS for steels. Accordingly, this work can shed light on the application of SPT for investigating the mechanical properties of austenitic stainless steels.