Abstract
The austenitic stainless steels are Fe-Cr alloys with sufficient nickel and manganese (and sometimes nitrogen) to stabilize austenite, a face-centered cubic (f.c.c.) phase. Chromium provides corrosion resistance. The most typical austenitic stainless steels are variations of the 18Cr-9Ni alloy. Although none of the commercial alloys were specifically developed for low-temperature service, several of them have been widely used in a variety of cryogenic applications. Their popularity stems from their retention of excellent mechanical properties, particularly toughness, at low temperatures coupled with ready availability, ease of fabrication, and good service experience. Their disadvantages are they are more expensive and have lower yield strength than ferritic Fe-Ni steels and aluminum alloys, and their machinability is poorer than that of aluminum alloys.
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McHenry, H.I. (1983). The Properties of Austenitic Stainless Steel at Cryogenic Temperatures. In: Reed, R.P., Horiuchi, T. (eds) Austenitic Steels at Low Temperatures. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3730-0_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3730-0_1
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