Stainless Steels at High Temperatures

Stainless Steels at High Temperatures
Materials and Applications Series, Volume 18
S tain l ess S tee l s at hi g h tem p e r at u r es
Euro Inox
Euro Inox is the European market development association for stainless steel. Members of Euro Inox
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ISBN 978-2-87997-064-6
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S tain l ess S tee l s at hi g h tem p e r at u r es
Contents
Stainless Steels at High Temperatures
First Edition 2012
(Materials and Applications Series, Volume 18)
Euro Inox 2012
Publisher
Euro Inox
Diamant Building, Bd. A. Reyers 80
1030 Brussels, Belgium
Phone: +32 2 706 82 67
Fax: +32 2 706 82 69
E-mail: info@euro-inox.org
Internet: www.euro-inox.org
Author
Alenka Kosma, Brussels (B)
Acknowledgements
Euro Inox wishes to thank Dr. Rachel Pettersson,
Outokumpu, Avesta (S), for her contribution and critical reading of the draft publication.
Cover photos
Stahl-Informations-Zentrum, Dsseldorf (D), (left)
Acroni, Jesenice (SI), (top right)
Centro Inox, Milan (IT), (bottom right)
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
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and legal fees, under Luxembourg copyright law and
regulations within the European Union.
1 Introduction
2
The role of alloying elements
3
The role of microstructure
4
Mechanical properties at high temperatures
4.1 Creep strength
4.2 Stress-rupture properties
4.3 Short-term tensile strength
4.4 Ductility
4.5 Thermal fatigue
4.6 Temperature gradients
4.7 Effect of cold working on properties
5
Microstructure stability
6 Resistance to high-temperature corrosion
6.1 Oxidation
6.2 Sulphidation
6.3 Carburisation and nitridation
6.4 Halogen-gas corrosion (chlorination)
Formability and weldability
7
8
Design for high-temperature applications
9
Design for oxidation resistance
10 Selecting the alloy
10.1 Temperature
10.2 Atmosphere and combustion gases
11 Applications
12 Cost considerations
13 Summary
14 Appendix
15 References
2
3
4
8
8
9
10
11
11
12
13
14
16
16
19
20
22
23
25
26
27
27
27
28
31
32
33
36
Disclaimer
Euro Inox has made every effort to ensure that the
information presented in this document is technically correct. However, the reader is advised that the
material contained herein is for general information
purposes only. Euro Inox and its members, specifically
disclaim any liability or responsibility for loss, damage or injury, resulting from the use of the information
contained in this publication.
1
STAINLESS STEELS AT HIGH TEMPERATURES
1 Introduction
Stainless steels are mainly used for their resistance to aqueous corrosion but are also
widely used at high temperatures when
carbon and low-alloyed steels do not provide adequate corrosion resistance and/or
strength. They can be found in applications
in which high-temperature oxidation resistance or high-temperature strength are required [1]. Construction material is exposed
to high temperatures in many industrial,
public and domestic applications, sometimes in connection with an aggressive environment.
22
Ti
23
Tita
n
40
ium
Zr
24
Cr
Van
adiu
m
41
25
Mn
Depending on the operating conditions, the

requirements on material used at high temperatures may be as follows:
high creep strength (and/or ductility)
good resistance to oxidation and hightemperature corrosion
stable microstructure
good resistance to erosion corrosion
Material selection should be determined by
the specific application and operating conditions in each case [2].
6
B
27
F
e C
2
C
43
M
28
o T
13
o
73
44
f T
29
c
N
14
A
7
i
4
4
l
R
a W 75
5
3
Cu 0
u R
S
46
i
3
Z
1
105
h
n
7
Re 6
Pd 47
32
G
Db
a
77
O
4
Ag 8
s I
Ge
Sg 107
7
8
4
C
r P
9
A
108
d
B
79
h
5
0
59
In
t A
109
H
80
s
51
S
u H
Pr 60
n
110
M
81
t D
S
g
Nd 61
b
111
82
T
s
Pm 62
l P
112
R
83
92
g
S
6
b
3
U
113
m
U
B
9
Chr
omi
um
Nb
con
ium
Nio
bium
42
26
Man
gan
ese
Mol
ybd
eniu
m
Nick
Rhe
nium
ium
Has
sium
Neo
dym
ium
Pro
met
hium
Sam
Ars
en
Indi
um
Gol
d
Tin
Mer
cury
Dar
m
stad
tium
Ger
man
ium
Cad
miu
m
Plat
inum
Roe
ntge
nium
Ph
Gal
lium
Silv
er
Iridi
um
Mei
tner
ium
Silic
on
Zinc
Pall
adiu
m
Osm
miu
Cop
per
Rho
dium
sten
Boh
rium
Alum
iniu
m
el
Rut
eniu
m
Tun
g
Sea
borg
ium
Car
bon
Cob
alt
Tec
hne
tium
Tan
talu
m
Dub
nium
Bor
on
Iron
Ant
imo
Tha
llium
Lea
d
ny
2 The role of alloying elements

Alloys for high-temperature applications are
designed to be able to form protective oxide
scales. The only oxides that meet the criteria for protective scales and can form on
practical alloys are chromium oxide (Cr2O3),
aluminium oxide (Al2O3) and, possibly, silicon dioxide (SiO2).
The effect of chromium is particularly evident at temperatures above 500 C. This
element forms a tight, adherent layer of
chromium-rich oxide on the surface of the
metal, retarding the inward diffusion of oxygen and impeding further reaction [3].
Other elements besides chromium may
also be added to stainless steel to increase
oxidation resistance. Silicon and aluminium
act very similarly to chromium. They oxidise selectively and if present in sufficient
amounts can form continuous films of SiO2
Higher nitrogen and carbon content enhance creep strength.

Molybdenum increases high-temperature
creep-rupture strength. It is usually limited
to 3.0 %. Higher molybdenum content can
cause serious oxidation problems and promote sigma-phase formation, unless counterbalanced by austenite-forming elements
such as nickel.
Titanium added in small amounts of about
0.30.7 % increases strength in austenitic
alloys. The same is true for niobium. Both
promote sigma-phase formation.
Boron increases creep-rupture strength
and is used at rather low concentrations
typically 0.002 %. This interstitial element
tends to concentrate at the grain boundary.
and Al2O3. The adherence of the oxide scale

can be greatly improved by small additions
of rare earth metals (REM) such as cerium or
lanthanum [4]. This is particularly beneficial
when the application is subjected to thermal cycling [5].
Nickel increases ductility, high-temperature
strength and resistance to both carburisation and nitridation. High-nickel-content
alloys should be avoided in reducing sulphidising environments, because of the formation of low-melting-point nickel-sulphur
compounds. Nickel counteracts but does
not necessarily stop the tendency for an alloy to form sigma phase.
Chromite, Dyne mine

(New Caledonia),
Photo: Ecole des Mines
de Paris, Paris (F)
3 The role of microstructure

Microstructure is less important for heat resistance than chemical composition or the
appropriate selection of alloying elements
but affects suitability for high-temperature
service for other reasons. The grades of
wrought stainless steels and nickel-based
alloys usually used for products where the
main requirement is resistance to the effect
of hot gases and combustion products at
temperatures above 550 C are specified in
European standard EN 10095 Heat resistant steels and nickel alloys [6]. This standard comprises 6 ferritic grades (see Table 1),
14 austenitic heat-resistant grades (Table 2)
and 1 duplex heat-resistant grade (Table 3).
With time and temperature, any metal can
be expected to undergo changes in metallurgical structure. In stainless steel, the
changes can be softening, carbide precipitation or embrittlement [8].
For most ferritic grades, long-term service

temperature is usually limited to 250 C,
due to 475 C embrittlement. This does
not seem to be a serious problem in lowchromium steel grades with 10.512.5 % Cr,
where temperatures can at times exceed
575 C. One reason is that 475 C embrittlement can be reversed by heat treatment at
higher temperatures. The resistance of some
ferritic grades to atmospheric corrosion and
high-temperature oxidation, and their relatively low cost, explain why these grades
have been extensively used in automotive
exhaust systems [7]. Other exceptions to
the maximum service-temperature limit are
high-alloyed chromium steel grades with
2327 % Cr, which offer outstanding scaling resistance in air at high temperatures,
due to their high chromium content. More
details on structural stability are provided
later in this publication. Minimum operating
temperatures (to avoid embrittlement) may
be valid in some cases.
Table 1: Chemical composition of heat-resistant ferritic steels [6]

Steel designation
% by mass
Number
Name
Approximate
AISI/ASTM
designation
1.4713
X10CrAlSi7
max. 0.12
0.51.00
1.00
6.008.00
0.501.00
1.4724
X10CrAlSi13
max. 0.12
0.71.40
1.00
12.0014.00
0.701.20
1.4742
X10CrAlSi18
max. 0.12
0.71.40
1.00
17.0019.00
0.701.20
1.4762
X10CrAlSi25
max. 0.12
0.71.40
1.00
23.0026.00
1.201.70
1.4749
X18CrN28
446
0.150.20
max.1.00
1.00
26.0029.00
1.4736
X3CrAlTi18-2
max. 0.04
max.1.00
1.00
17.0018.00
Si
Mn
max.
Cr
Al
Others
N: 0.15 to 0.25
1.702.10
0.2+4(C+N)Ti0.80
Figure 1 gives a broad idea of the hotstrength advantages of stainless steels

in comparison with low-carbon unalloyed
steels. Ferritic grades are not known for their
mechanical strength at high temperature.
The high-temperature strength of ferritic
and martensitic stainless steels is relatively
low compared to that of austenitic grades.
Martensitic stainless steels are listed as
creep-resistant steels in European standards EN 10088-1 [9] and EN 10302 [10]. However, due to their low chromium content
(12.5 % maximum), they are not primarily
specified as heat-resistant grades but are
mainly specified when the application requires good tensile strength, creep and
fatigue strength, in combination with moderate corrosion resistance and heat resistance up to approximately 650 C. Low- and
medium-carbon martensitic steels are used
primarily in steam turbines, jet engines and
gas turbines.
Tensile Strength for Rupture in 1000 h
MPa
Steam turbine half-casing and rotor. The rotor

is made of martensitic
stainless steel, suitable
for use in high temperatures. Photo: Centro
Inox, Milan (I)
Austenitic stainless steels provide, next to

nickel-based alloys, the best combination
of high-temperature corrosion resistance
and high-temperature mechanical strength
of any alloy group. For this reason, there
are a multitude of special heat-resistant
austenitic grades listed in EN 10095 and
special creep-resistant austenitic grades in
EN 10302. Heat-resistant austenitic grades
are the preferred metallic material in hightemperature applications.
ksi
600
Martensitic and
Ferritic Grades
400
Austenitic
Grades
50
200
Low-Carbon
Unalloyable Steel
F
C
400
0
200
800
400
1200
600
1600
800
Temperature
Figure 1: General comparison of the hot-strength characteristics of austenitic, martensitic and ferritic stainless
steels with those of low-carbon unalloyed steel [8]
Table 2: Chemical composition of austenitic heat-resistant steels [6]

Steel designation
% by mass
Number
Name
Approximate
AISI/ASTM
designation
1.4878
X8CrNiTi18-10
321H
max. 0.10
max. 1.00
max. 2.00
17.019.00
9.0012.00
1.4828
X15CrNiSi20-12
max. 0.20
1.50-2.50
max. 2.00
19.0021.00
11.0013.00
1.4835
X9CrNiSiNCe21-11-2
S30815
0.05-0.12
1.40-2.50
max. 1.00
20.0022.00 10.0012.00
1.4833
X12CrNi23-13
309S
max. 0.15
max. 1.00
max. 2.00
22.0024.00 12.0014.00
1.4845
X8CrNi25-21
310S
max. 0.1
max. 1.50
max. 2.00
24.0026.00 19.0022.00
1.4841
X15CrNiSi25-21
314
max. 0.20
1.502.50
max. 2.00
24.0026.00 19.0022.00
1.4864
X12NiCrSi35-16
max. 0.15
1.002.00
max. 2.00
15.0017.00
1.4876
X10NicrAlTi32-21
max. 0.12
max. 1.00
max. 2.00
19.0023.00 30.0034.00
1.4877
X6NiCrNbCe32-27
0.040.08
max.0.30
max. 1.00
26.0028.00 31.0033.00
1.4872
X25CrMnNiN25-9-7
0.200.30
max.1.00
8.0010.00
24.0026.00
6.008.00
N: 0.200.40
1.4818
X6CrNiSiNCe19-10
S30415
0.040.08
1.002.00
max. 1.00
18.0020.00
9.0011.00
Ce: 0.030.08
1.4854
X6NiCrSiNCe35-25*
S35315
0.040.08
1.202.00
max. 2.00
24.0026.00 34.0036.00
1.4886
X10NiCrSi35-19
N08330
max. 0.15
1.002.00
max. 2.00
17.0020.00
33.0037.00
1.4887
X10NiCrSiNb35-22
max. 0.15
1.002.00
max. 2.00
20.0023.00
33.0037.00
Si
Mn
Cr
Ni
Others
Ti: 5%CTi0.80
Ce: 0.030.08
33.0037.00
Al: 0.150.60
Ti: 0.150.60
Al: max. 0.025
Ce: 0.050.10
Nb: 0.601.00
N: 0.120.20
Ce: 0.030.08
Nb: 1.001.50
*patented steel grade
Duplex stainless steels have a mixed ferrite

and austenite structure. Their yield strength
is in the range of 550 MPa to 690 MPa
in the annealed condition significantly
higher than that of their austenitic or ferritic counterparts. Despite this relatively
high strength at room temperature, duplex
grades are subject to embrittlement and
loss of mechanical properties, particularly
toughness, through prolonged exposure
to high temperatures. As a result, duplex
stainless steels are generally not recommended for high-temperature applications,
their upper temperature limit being generally not higher than approximately 300 C.
6
The latest research confirms that duplex

grades have somewhat lower strength retention than comparable austenitic grades
in the higher-temperature range. However,
even in the high-temperature range typical
of fire situations, their absolute strength is
still similar to that of austenitic grades [11].
The highest temperature therefore depends
on mechanical properties (e.g. pressure
vessels) and needs to be qualified for the
steel concerned.
Table 3: Chemical composition of duplex heat-resistant steel [6]

Steel designation
% by mass
Number
Name
Approximate
AISI/ASTM
designation
1.4821
X15CrNiSi25-4
Si
Mn
max.
Cr
Ni
0.10-0.20
0.801.50
2.00
24.5026.50
3.505.50
Precipitation-hardening (PH) stainless steels

are chromium-nickel grades whose strength
can be increased by age hardening. Age
hardening is provided by an intermediatetemperature ageing treatment. These steels
are of limited use for high-temperature service in the aged condition, since they lose
strength rapidly at temperatures above
about 425 C [12]. They will therefore not be
discussed further here.
Grades designed for aqueous-corrosion resistance may also be used as heat-resistant
steel grades where corrosion resistance is
of high importance. These steel grades are
listed in EN 10088-1 and EN 10028-7 [13] and
shown below in Table 4.
The temperature range in which the above

stainless steel grades are used is somewhat
lower than that of steel grades specifically designed and listed as heat resistant. It should
be borne in mind that maximum service temperature differs depending on whether service is intermittent or continuous.
The embrittlement mechanisms discussed
under structural stability should be taken
into account, as they also usually set in below the maximum service temperature.
Table 4: Grades from EN 10088-1 and EN 10028-7 which are used in addition to those in EN10095 as heat-resistant steels
Steels from EN 10088-1
Steels from EN 10028-7
Name
1.4512
X2CrTi12
409
1.4000
X6CrTi13
410S
1.4016
X6Cr17
1.4510
X3CrTi17
1.4590
X2CrNbZr17
1.4509
X2CrTiNb18
1.4006
X12Cr13
1.4301
X5CrNi18-10
1.4541
X6CrNiTi18-19
1.4362
X2CrNiN23-4
Number
Name
Approximate AISI/ASTM
designation
Number
430
1.4510
X3CrTi17
439
1.4509
X2CrTiNb18
1.4301
X5CrNi18-10
304
1.4948
X6CrNi18-10
304H
1.4541
X6CrNiTi18-19
321
1.4941
X7CrNiTiB18-10
410
1.4950
X6CrNi23-13
1.4951
X6CrNi25-20
1.4362
X2CrNiN23-4
2304
4 Mechanical properties at high temperatures

At high temperatures, metals under stress
are subject to slow plastic deformation as
well as elastic deformation. Time therefore
becomes a critical factor and conventional
tensile tests do not furnish values that are
useful in design. The data required is that
indicating the load which will produce
no more than an allowable percentage of
elongation at a specified temperature over
a given period of time. High-temperature
strength properties thus involve factors of
time and deformation as well as stress and
temperature [14].
The strength of materials at high temperature is not measured in the same way as at
room temperature. For room-temperature
applications automobile frames, claw
hammers, etc. the designer needs to know
tensile strength, yield strength or hardness,
but when the material is exposed to high
temperatures, the most important mechanical property is creep or rupture strength [15].
4.1 Creep strength

Metals behave very differently at high temperatures than they do at room temperature. If a metal bar is loaded to just below
its yield strength at room temperature, the
load can be left there almost indefinitely.
It will not fail unless it corrodes or suffers
stress-corrosion cracking.
At high temperature, the material begins to
stretch, but very slowly. It will keep stretching until it finally breaks [15]. The speed at
which the metal stretches, in % per hour,
is called its creep rate. The high-temperature strength of a material is generally ex8
pressed in terms of creep strength its

ability to resist distortion over long-term exposure to a high temperature. Creep occurs
in most applications where metal temperatures exceed 480 C. In time, creep may lead
to excessive deformation and even fracture
at stresses considerably below those determined in room-temperature and hightemperature short-term tensile tests. It is
usually satisfactory if creep does not exceed
1 % deformation in 10,000 hours. This does
not mean that this rate of creep can be expected to continue for 10,000 hours without
failure in every instance.
Creep values obtained under constant load
and temperature conditions are applicable
to design. However, safety factors should
always be incorporated. The safety factor
will depend on the degree to which the application is critical [14]. Of the various types
of stainless steel, austenitics provide the
highest creep strength.
A design stress figure commonly used for
uniformly heated parts not subjected to
thermal or mechanical shock is 50 % of the
stress to produce 1 % creep in 10,000 hours.
However, this should be used carefully and
verified with the supplier [16]. A common
criterion is for the load to cause failure at
100,000 hours, with an added safety factor
of 1.5 (see the ASME code, for example). For
guidance, creep properties are given in the
Appendix of this publication.
4.2 Stress-rupture properties

Stress-rupture properties determined under
constant load at constant temperature are
useful in estimating the service life of a material (time to fracture) under specific conditions and also for comparing alloys. They
serve as additional information to creepstrength values in the selection of heatresistant materials. It should be recognised
that long-term creep and stress-rupture
values (e.g. 100,000 h) are often extrapolated from shorter-term tests conducted at
high stresses. Considerable scatter in test
results may be observed, even for a given
heat of an alloy, so extrapolated creep- and
rupture-strength data can be unreliable.
There can typically be a variation of 20 %
in stress. Differences can often be traced to

differences in, for example, annealing procedures and grain size. Even tests with the
longest affordable duration should therefore be interpreted cautiously.
A materials actual behaviour can also be
difficult to predict accurately due to the complexity of the actual service stresses as opposed to the idealised, uniaxial loading conditions in standardised tests. Factors such as
cyclic loading, temperature fluctuation and
metal loss from corrosion may also influence
how a material behaves in service [3,17].
Temperature, F
1.000
1.100
1.200
1.300
1.400
1.500
100.000
552
80.000
414
60.000
276
40.000
207
30.000
138
20.000
69
10.000
55
8.000
41
6.000
28
4.000
21
3.000
14
2.000
7
482
538
593
649
705
760
816
Stress-rupture strength in 10.000 h, psi
Stress-rupture strength in 10.000 h, MPa
900
689
1.4301 (304)
1.4307 (304L)
1.4401 (316)
1.4404 (316L)
1.4541 (321)
1.4550 (347)
1.4833 (309S)
1.4845 (310S)
Plain carbon steel
1.000
Temperature, C
Figure 2: Stress-rupture strength in 10,000 h of different stainless steels grades [25]
4.3 Short-term tensile strength

Historically, the method used for studying
the high-temperature properties of metals
and alloys has been short-term tensile testing. While these tests have been largely superseded for design purposes by long-term
creep and rupture tests, high-temperature
tensile testing nevertheless furnishes useful data for preliminary appraisal.
The values obtained are as much as five or six

times the limiting creep-strength values and
therefore greatly over-evaluate load-carrying
ability over a long period of time. High-temperature tensile test results can be helpful in
evaluating resistance to momentary overloads
and are included in some specifications.
Over about 550 C, tensile and yield strength
cannot be used as a basis for design.
High-temperature tensile tests are similar to

tensile tests at room temperature. Usually,
the specimen is surrounded by an electricresistance furnace, to keep it at a constant
selected temperature during application of
the load. Rate of testing (or strain rate) is
one of the important considerations [3].
Tensile strength (or ultimate strength) is

the stress required to pull the specimen until it breaks in two. A tensile test is carried
out by mounting a specimen in a machine
which pulls on it with a slowly increasing
load until it breaks. The strength of the material is reported by its tensile strength in
N/mm2 or MPa.
Tensile strength is tested with dedicated equipment.

Photo: Acroni, Jesenice (SI)
10
4.4 Ductility
Accurately comparing the hot ductility of
heat-resistant materials is difficult, since
there is no generally accepted reference test.
Total elongation values on both creep- and
stress-rupture tests are often used as criteria. Also, elongation in short-term tensile
tests is commonly used in specifications as
an indication of high-temperature ductility.
In many service conditions, with the combined
uncertainties of actual stress, temperature
and strength, it may be important that failure
does not occur without warning and that the
metal retains high ductility throughout its service life. In the oil and chemical industries, for
instance, tubing applications under high pressure require high long-term ductility. In these
cases, impending rupture will be evident from
the bulging of the tubes [3].
There are many influencing factors when material is

selected for use in industrial environment.
Photo: Centro Inox, Milan (I)
ing temperatures (cyclic heating) are encountered, so the ability to withstand in-service
thermal fatigue must be considered.
4.5 Thermal fatigue

Metal expands when heated and contracts
by the same amount when cooled down. This
strains both the centre and the outer surface.
After a number of these strain cycles the metal cracks. Cracks can start at the surface and
grow into the material, as in a carburising environment, or they can start internally (in neutral
hardening operations) and give no external sign
that anything is wrong until the material suddenly breaks [15]. In many high-temperature
applications, intermittent or widely fluctuat-
Very little experimental thermal-fatigue information is available on which comparison of the various alloys can be based and
no standard test has as yet been adopted.
Field experience indicates that, usually, resistance to thermal fatigue improves with increasing nickel content. As unequal stresses
tend to distort or fracture the part, it is helpful in some cases to make parts of a number
of small components that are free to expand
and contract. Sharp corners and abrupt
changes in section are to be avoided [14]1.
The importance of using sections that are as light as possible should often be considered in design, as less mass means
less strained material. A change of dimensions from 12.7 mm to 15.9 mm in diameter for a bar frame basket, for example,
could result in halving the lifetime, rather than making the basket stronger. In this case, with increasing diameter the thermal strains were significantly higher. Thermal stress causes more distortion and cracking in heat-resistant alloy equipment
than do the mechanical loads imposed on the part [14].
11
Strength is rarely the only requisite in

material selection and frequently is not
the major one. More failures are due
to brittle fracture from thermal fatigue
than from stress rupture or creep. However, high-temperature strength is important where severe thermal cycling is
required [16].
4.6 Temperature gradients

Heat-resistant alloys have inherently high
coefficients of thermal expansion and low
heat conductivity both properties tending
to produce temperature and stress differences between different areas of a part or
assembly. Coefficient of thermal expansion
is expressed in units of proportional change
of length for each degree increase in temperature, usually as 10-6K-1. Other units
sometimes used are 10-6/C, m/m/C and
10-6cm/cm/C. These are identical but are
outside the International System of Units2.
Increase in length (or diameter, thickness,

etc.) can be readily calculated by multiplying the original dimension by the temperature change by the coefficient of thermal
expansion. For example, if a 3-meter-long
bar of steel grade 1.4301, with a coefficient
of thermal expansion of 17.210-6K-1 (or
17.2 m/m/C), is heated from 20 C to
200 C, the length increases by:
L = Lo T = 17.2 3.00 180 = 9288 m
= 9.3 mm
In the equation, stands for coefficient of
thermal expansion, Lo for original length
and T for change in temperature.
Table 5: Coefficient of thermal expansion - average
values [18]
Coefficient of
thermal expansion
(10-6K-1)
Carbon steel
12
Austenitic stainless steel
17
Duplex stainless steel
14
Ferritic stainless steel
10
Martensitic stainless steel
10
Linear-expansion coefficients for specific

steel grades are given in the Appendix.
12
abbreviated as SI system from the French Systme International dUnits
4.7 Effect of cold working on

properties
The high-temperature strength of heat-resistant austenitic alloys can be increased
by cold working processes such as rolling.
The increased strength is, however, only retained up to recrystallization temperature.
Figure 3 shows the effect of temperature
on the tensile properties of cold-worked
1.4310 (301) stainless steel. In particular,
cold-worked products have poor resistance
to creep, which generally occurs at temperatures slightly above the recrystallization
temperature of the metal. During long-term
high-temperature exposure, the benefit
Temperature, F
1250
400
800
1200
1600
120
750
80
40
200
0
-20
205
425
650
Tensile strength, ksi
Tensile strength, MPa
150
1000
500
of cold working is lost and stress-rupture

strength may even fall below annealed
strength [25].
0
870
Elongation in 50 mm (2 in.), %
The microstructure of a steel is checked under high magnification.

Photo: Acroni, Jesenice (SI)
Temperature, F
0
400
800
1200
1600
0
-20
205
425
650
870
80
60
40
20
Temperature, C
Temperature, C
Temperature, F
1000
400
800
1200
1600
120
750
80
500
40
200
0
-20
205
425
650
Temperature, C
0
870
0.2 % offset yield strength, ksi
0.2 % offset yield strength, MPa
Annealed
1/4 hard
1/2 hard
Figure 3: The effect of short-term high temperature

on the tensile properties of cold-worked steel grade
1.4310 (301). (a) Tensile strength, (b) Yield strength,
(c) Elongation [25].
13
5 Microstructure stability
Some materials change after a few hundred
or thousand hours in service. They become
brittle instead of remaining tough and ductile.
The most common problem is that the alloy
forms a hard, brittle, non-magnetic phase,
called sigma. Sigma phase forms in the temperature range of 500980 C [15]. This microstructural change can occur in austenitic, ferritic or duplex stainless steel, the process being
dependent on both time and temperature.
Some lower-chromium ferritic grades can
form sigma phase at temperatures as low as
480 C, albeit over extended periods of time.
In addition to temperature, the time required
to form sigma phase varies considerably depending on composition and processing (the
amount of cold working, for example). Embrittlement due to sigma phase starts rapidly if
the material has been cold worked.
With a sufficiently high level of nickel, sigma-phase formation can be completely suppressed. If a material is to be used in the
sigma-phase-formation range, it is important to evaluate how much embrittlement
is likely to occur over the service life of the
component and what effect this will have on
the components performance.
Embrittlement is not normally a problem
when material is at operating temperature
(except when thermal fatigue is involved)
but can become serious at ambient temperatures [19]. Generally, such phases are
of the most concern when affected parts are
cooled down to room temperature. At high
temperatures, from a ductility or toughness
standpoint, the phases do not appear to be
a major problem. Other intermetallic phases very often present besides sigma phase
14
are Laves and chi () phases. In the case of

Laves phase, such intermetallics can even
improve high-temperature creep strength.
Intermetallic phase embrittlement is primarily a service problem involving long exposure
to high temperatures. These phases can be
dissolved by heating to above 1000 C [12].
At temperatures between 400 C and 500 C,
ferritic stainless steels tend to split into two
separate phases, with respectively high and
low chromium contents. The rate of the reaction reaches its maximum at 475 C and is
therefore called 475 C embrittlement. The
11 % Cr ferritic grades are the least sensitive
to this phenomenon, which occurs only to a
limited extent in 17 % Cr alloys, whereas 25 %
Cr materials, including duplex stainless
steels, are highly prone to it [23].
At high temperatures, grain growth may also
occur, possibly increasing creep strength
somewhat but simultaneously substantially
reducing ductility. Even if these microstructural changes lead to impaired material properties, they can be acceptable as long as one is
aware of them and considers them during service as well as at maintenance shutdowns [2].
Some austenitic stainless steels can

suffer significant ductility loss or embrittlement upon long-term exposure to
intermediate temperatures (500900 C),
due to sigma phase formation [25]. Use
of iron-chromium-nickel types should
be limited to applications in which temperatures are steady and not within the
sigma-forming temperature range [24].
Table 6: Practical considerations of structure stability in use [20,21,22]

Steel designation
AUSTENITIC
Exposure
time(1)
Grain
bound- -phase
Grain growth
ary
carEmbrit- 475 C bides
tlement embriteffect tlement
C
Number
Name
1.4818
S30415
1000
Short
Long
Medium
Low
YES
1.4828
X15CrNiSi20-12
1000
Long
Medium
Low
1000
Medium Medium/
strong
1.4835 X9CrNiSiNCe21-11-2 S30815 8501100
1100
Long
Medium
Low
1.4841
X15CrNiSi25-21
314
1150
1.4845
X8CrNi25-21
310S
1100
1.4854
S35315
1150
1.4878
X8CrNiTi18-10
321H
1.4948
304H
1.4713
X10CrAl7
1.4724
X10CrAl13
1.4833
FERRITIC
Max.
recomMost
mended
suitable service
temp. temperaNearest range
ture in
ASTM/
dry air
AISI
C
1.4742
1.4762
X12CrNi23-13
X10CrAl18
X10CrAl24
> 950
> 1050
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
Risk of reduced room-temperature impact toughness after

service below 950 C
800
Long
Medium
Low
YES
YES
YES
800
Short
Long
Medium
Low
YES
YES
YES
550800
800
Low
No brittle phases,
but should be exposed to
only moderately corrosive
atmospheres
550850
850
Low
YES
YES
-phase after long exposure,

but faster than 1.4742
grain growth
309S
5501000
5501150
1000
1150
600-750 600-900
Comments
Medium
YES
YES
(long
exposure)
Medium
but
higher
than
1.4742
YES
YES
(long exposure)
No brittle phases
(1) short = seconds-minutes, medium = minutes-hours, long = days-months
15
6 Resistance to high-temperature corrosion

The term high-temperature corrosion
is not very accurate. It generally concerns
dry corrosion, usually by gases, and what
is high for one material may be low for another. However, in the case of stainless
steels it can often be taken to mean 500 C
and higher. Under these conditions, the
surface alteration produced on stainless
steel is usually fairly uniform.
Heat treatment after hot

or cold forming is often
part of the fabrication
procedure. Photo:
Butting, Knesebeck (D)
At high temperatures, corrosion mechanisms differ significantly depending on the

oxygen potential of the atmosphere and the
corrosive species present. Atmospheres
with high oxygen potential contain species
such as oxygen, water vapour, sulphur and
its oxides (SO2 and SO3), carbon dioxide
(CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), chlorine, etc.
Atmospheres with a low oxygen potential
are usually dominated by hydrogen, possibly with the presence of hydrogen sulphide
(H2S), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen
chloride (HCl), hydrocarbons, ammonia, etc.
These atmospheres are often loosely termed
oxidising and reducing respectively,
which is best interpreted as meaning with
respect to iron, since a so-called reducing

atmosphere can oxidise elements such as
aluminium and silicon and often even chromium [4]. It should be noted that no single
alloy will show satisfactory resistance to all
high-temperature environments. [14].
6.1 Oxidation
When a material is exposed to an oxidising
atmosphere at high temperatures, an oxide layer usually forms on the surface. This
layer will retard further oxidation. If the temperature of the material increases, the oxide
growth rate will increase and the layer will
finally crack and spall off when the scaling
temperature is reached, thus losing its protective effect [25]. Chromium-alloyed steels
have better resistance to oxidation than
carbon steels, due to the presence of chromium and mixed chromium and iron oxides
in an oxide layer. Mixed chromium and iron
oxides are more protective than a pure ironoxide layer. When the chromium content (w)
is increased from 0 % to 27 %, the maximum
service temperature increases from around
500 C to 1150 C. At temperatures above
1000 C, aluminium oxides are more protective than chromium oxides. The amount
of aluminium required for the formation of
a protective layer will, however, make the
alloy rather brittle, making fabrication difficult and costly [26]. Increased nickel minimizes scale spalling when temperature cycling occurs [25].
16
Historically, the oxidation resistance of an

alloy has been specified as the scaling
temperature, i.e. the temperature at which
the oxidation rate becomes unacceptably
high. Since this temperature is of little technical importance, the concept of scaling
temperature has been abandoned.
Water vapour has a specific effect on oxidation. Thus, while oxidation rates in air are
generally slightly lower than in pure oxygen,
water vapour significantly increases the corrosion rate, particularly in iron-rich alloys. The
oxide layer formed tends to be porous and
less protective. This is generally attributed to
the formation of volatile chromium-oxide and
hydroxide species. A cold-worked surface
leads to improved behaviour in water vapour
compared to an annealed structure, since it
promotes the formation of a compact layer of
Cr2O3 [4]. If elevated water vapour content is
present, the maximum recommended service
temperature can be reduced by 50150 C,
depending on steam content [27].
The maximum application temperatures for

air are given in EN 10095.
Table 7: Maximum application temperature in air for some heat-resistant stainless steel grades (for guidance only) [6]
Steel designation
Number
designation
Name
Maximum application
temperature
C
Ferritic heat-resistant steels

1.4713
X10CrAlSi7
800
1.4724
X10CrAlSi13
850
1.4742
X10CrAlSi18
1000
1.4762
X10CrAlSi25
1150
1.4749
X18CrN28
1100
1.4736
X3CrAlTi18-2
1000
Austenitic heat-resistant steels

1.4878
X8CrNiTi18-10
1.4828
X15CrNiSi20-12
321H
850
1.4835
X9CrNiSiNCe21-11-2
S30815
1150
1.4833
X12CrNi23-13
309S
1000
1.4845
X8CrNi25-21
310S
1050
1.4841
X15CrNiSi25-21
314
1150
1.4818
X6CrNiSiNCe19-10
1050
1100
1000
Duplex heat-resistant steel

1.4821
X15CrNiSi25-4
17
Table 8: Generally accepted maximum service temperatures in air for some standard stainless steel grades (for guidance only) [12]
Steel designation
Number
Name
1.4016
X6Cr17
Maximum service temperature

designation
Intermittent service
C
Continuous service
C
870
815
815
705
Ferritic stainless steel

430
Martensitic stainless steel
1.4006
X12Cr13
410
1.4301
X5CrNi18-10
304
870
925
1.4541
X6CrNiTi18-19
321
870
925
Austenitic stainless steel
1600
1400
Weight gain, g/m2
1200
1000
800
600
1.4818
1.4833
1.4828
1.4835
1.4845
1.4854
400
200
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
Time, h
Figure 4: Long-term oxidation at 1100 C. The specimens were cooled down to room temperature once a week for weighting, 165 h cycles [28].
18
Catastrophic oxidation is, as its name implies, oxidation that proceeds so rapidly
that complete failure of the material occurs in a very short time. Certain elements,
such as molybdenum, niobium, vanadium
and tungsten, form oxides that are volatile
at relatively low temperatures. If these oxides are formed and retained in the scale,
they act as fluxes and destroy the protective
film. Catastrophic oxidation may be a serious problem under certain operating conditions, i.e. extreme temperatures, stagnant
atmosphere or solid deposits [15,29].
6.2 Sulphidation
As with oxidation, resistance to sulphidation relates to chromium content. Unalloyed
iron will be converted rather rapidly to ironsulphide scale, but when iron is alloyed
with chromium, sulphidation resistance is
enhanced. Alloying elements that provide
some protection against sulphidation are
silicon, aluminium and titanium.
Various sulphur compounds are often present in flue gases and other process gases.
They have a highly detrimental effect on the
useful life of exposed components. Due to
kinetic factors, non-equilibrium sulphides
can form and grow under (nominally) oxidising conditions. Even if initially formed
sulphides are later overgrown by oxide or
dissolved, their earlier existence has made
the oxide layer less protective. In existing
oxide layers, attacks can occur in pores
and cracks. It is therefore essential that the
material is able to form a thin, tough and
adherent oxide layer. This requires high

chromium content and preferably also additions of silicon, aluminium and REM.
Materials may be
exposed to extreme
conditions. Photo: Drever
International, Angleur
(Lige) (B)
In addition to the usual factors of time, temperature and concentration, sulphidation

depends on the form in which the sulphur
exists. Of particular interest are the effects
of sulphur dioxide, sulphur vapour, hydrogen sulphide and flue gases. Combustion
gases normally contain sulphur compounds.
Sulphur dioxide is present as an oxidising
gas, along with CO, CO2, nitrogen and excess oxygen. Protective oxides are generally
formed and, depending on the conditions,
the corrosion rate may be approximately the
same as in air or slightly greater. The resistance of stainless steels to normal combustion gases goes up as chromium content is
increased.
19
An old rule-of-thumb says that nickel-containing alloys should be avoided in reducing, sulphidising environments, since the
formation of low-melting-point nickel-sulphur compounds may lead to rapid deterioration of the alloy. In practice, however,
a reducing atmosphere can have a sufficiently high oxygen content (e.g. in the form
of SO2) to enable the formation of a protective oxide layer, provided the chromium
content of the alloy is high enough [30].
The low-melting-point nickel/nickel sulphide eutectic may be formed on austenitic
stainless steels containing more than 25 %
Ni, even in the presence of high chromium
levels. The occurrence of molten phases
during high-temperature service can lead to
catastrophic destruction of an alloy.
Reducing flue gases contain varying
amounts of CO, CO2, hydrogen, hydrogen
sulphide and nitrogen. The corrosion rates
encountered in these environments are
sensitive to hydrogen sulphide content and
temperature. A satisfactory material selection often necessitates service tests. In truly
reducing sulphurous atmospheres, any
layer of oxide will dissolve rapidly and the
bare metal will be exposed to attack. In such
circumstances, nickel-free alloys should be
used [25,30].
20
6.3 Carburisation and nitridation

Carburisation of stainless steels can take
place in CO, methane (CH4) and other hydrocarbon gases, such as propane (C3H8), at
high temperatures. Carburisation can also
occur when stainless steels that are contaminated with oil or grease are annealed without
sufficient oxygen to burn off the carbon. This
can happen during vacuum or inert-gas annealing, as well as during open-air annealing
of oily parts whose shapes restrict air access,
but is often more of a problem with low-alloy
steels than with stainless grades.
Carburisation problems are quite common
to heat-treatment equipment used for case
hardening of steels by carburising. In the
petrochemical industry, carburisation is one
of the major modes of high-temperature corrosion for processing equipment [25]. A big
increase in carbon pick-up leads to volume
changes, which can cause warpage and distortion. The additional carbon also leads to
difficulties if repair welding is necessary [14].
When not desired, nitridation is considered
a form of corrosion and may be a problem
when stainless steels are heated in an environment containing active nitrogen [3]. Nitridation usually happens due to overheating in nitrogen-containing gases or cracking
ammonia. In the heat-treating industry, only
high-nickel chromium alloys give satisfactory service under nitriding conditions [14].
Table 9: Stability against specific corrosion conditions at high temperatures [32]

Steel designation
Number
Name
Stability against
Nearest
ASTM/AISI
Sulphurated gases
reducing
oxidising
Nitrogenous, poor in
oxygen gases
Carburisation

1.4713
X10CrAlSi7
1.4724
X10CrAlSi13
1.4742
X10CrAlSi18
3*
1.4762
X10CrAlSi25
3*

1.4878
X8CrNiTi18-10
1.4828
X15CrNiSi20-12
1.4835
X9CrNiSiNCe21-11-2
321H
2*
S30815
1.4833
X12CrNi23-13
309S
1.4845
X8CrNi25-21
310S
1.4841
X15CrNiSi25-21
314
2*
1.4821
X15CrNiSi25-4
3*

3
1 = very low / 2 = low / 3 = medium / 4 = medium-high / 5 = high / 6 = very high

*at temperatures above 900C
The resistance of high-temperature alloys to

carbon and nitrogen pick-up rises primarily
with increasing nickel content but also with
increasing silicon and chromium content.
Experience shows that it takes only minor
amounts of oxygen in the furnace gas (even
in the form of carbon dioxide or steam) to
produce a thin, tough oxide layer on steel
grade 1.4835, which provides good protection against pick-up of both carbon and nitrogen [31].
A problem in carburising atmospheres is

metal dusting, sometimes also called catastrophic carburisation or carbon rot. This
occurs at lower temperatures, typically between 430 C and 650 C [15] in heat treating, refining and petrochemical processing and other operations [25]. The exact
mechanism may be disputed, but the effect
is that the metal disappears. Very often the
metal literally appears worm-eaten on
the surface.
21
6.4 Halogen-gas corrosion

(chlorination)
Halogen-gas corrosion involves reaction
between metals and chlorides, fluorides
and hydrogen halides such as hydrogen
chloride (HCl) and hydrogen fluoride (HF).
Halogen and halogen compounds generally
attack via the gaseous phase or molten salt
compounds. Salts cause slagging and disintegration of the oxide layer and gas-phase
halogens penetrate deeply into the material
without destroying the oxide layer. Pre-oxidation is therefore of no benefit.
For chloride-bearing environments with no
measurable oxygen, iron and carbon steel
are very susceptible to chlorination attack.
Adding chromium and/or nickel to iron improves the corrosion resistance of the alloy. Thus, ferritic and austenitic stainless
steels can better resist chlorination attack
at higher temperatures than can cast iron
and carbon steels. Nickel and nickel-based
alloys are generally even more resistant to
chlorination attack than stainless steels.
In oxidising environments containing both
chlorine and oxygen, molybdenum and
tungsten are detrimental to an alloys resistance to chlorination attack [25].
Photo: Butting, Knesebeck (D)
22
7 Formability and weldability

Hot working should be carried out within the
temperature ranges given in Table 11. Like
other austenitic steels, heat-resistant steels
can be formed in cold condition. However,
due to their relatively high nitrogen content,
the mechanical strength of certain steels is
higher and greater deformation forces are
consequently required. The relatively high
hardness of austenitic steels and their ability to strain-harden must be taken into consideration when machining.
(GTAW, also TIG), plasma arc welding (PAW)

and gas metal arc welding (GMAW, also
MIG), with pure argon used as the shielding
gas, and submerged arc welding (SAW).
Heat treatment after hot or cold forming or
welding is often not needed if the material
is exposed to high temperature during service. However, if that is not sufficient, the
best option is solution annealing for austenitic stainless steels and soft annealing for
ferritic stainless steels. Suitable temperature ranges are given in Table 11.
These steels have good or very good weldability and can be welded using the following methods: shielded metal arc welding
(SMAW) with covered electrodes, gas shielded welding, e.g. gas tungsten arc welding
Table 10: Weldability and welding filler materials for some selected heat-resistant steels [32]
Steel designation
Number
Name
Weldability
Nearest
ASTM/AISI
Good, all welding

methods
Heating up and
electrowelding
Suitable welding filler materials

1.4713
X10CrAlSi7
1.4551, 1.4716, 1.4820, 1.4829,

1.4723
1.4724
X10CrAlSi13
1.4502, 1.4723, 1.4773, 1.4820,

1.4829
1.4742
X10CrAlSi18
()
1.4820, 1.4773, 1.4829
1.4762
X10CrAlSi25
()
1.4773, 1.4820, 1.4842

1.4878
X8CrNiTi18-10
321H
1.4551, 1.4829
1.4828
X15CrNiSi20-12
1.4829
1.4835
X9CrNiSiNCe21-11-2
S30815
1.4833
X12CrNi23-13
309S
1.4842
1.4845
X8CrNi25-21
310S
1.4842
1.4841
X15CrNiSi25-21
314
1.4842
1.4820, 1.4842

1.4821
X15CrNiSi25-4
good
() conditional
23
Table 11: Heat treatment temperatures [6]

Steel designation
Name
Number
1.4713
X10CrAlSi7
Nearest
ASTM/AISI
Hot working
C
Soft annealing
C*
Solution annealing
C

-
1100800
780840
1.4724
X10CrAlSi13
1100800
800860
1.4742
X10CrAlSi18
1100800
800860
1.4762
X10CrAlSi25
1100800
800860
1.4878
X8CrNiTi18-10
1150800
10201120
1.4828
X15CrNiSi20-12
1150800
10501150
1.4835
X9CrNiSiNCe21-11-2
S30815
1100900
10201120
1.4833
X12CrNi23-13
309S
1100900
10501150
1.4845
X8CrNi25-21
310S
1100900
10501150
1.4841
X15CrNiSi25-21
314
1150800
10501150
10001100

321H

1.4821
* cooling in calm air
Heat treatment after hot

or cold forming is often
part of the fabrication
procedure. Photo:
Butting, Knesebeck (D)
24
X15CrNiSi25-4
1150800
8 Design for high-temperature applications

Time-dependent deformation and fracture
of structural materials at high temperatures
are among the most challenging problems
faced by materials engineers. To develop an
improved design methodology for machines
and equipment operating at high temperatures, several key concepts and their synergism must be understood. These include:
plastic instability at high temperatures
deformation mechanisms and strain components associated with creep processes
stress and temperature dependence
fracture at high temperatures
environmental effects
Engineering procedures for the life management of operating components assume
that the material is progressively degraded
or damaged as creep strain increases and
operating time accumulates. However, for
the purposes of component-life management which allows decisions to be made
regarding part replacement, repair or rejuvenation there is a critical need to quantify the accumulation of damage as a result
of operating conditions. There are two basic
approaches used for the concept of damage
accumulation in life assessment:
Remaining life is estimated from the
known original properties of the construction material, based on detailed knowledge of the operating conditions, including temperature and stress changes,
Remaining-life estimates are made using
post-exposure measurements of microstructural changes, intergranular cavitation or mechanical properties such as
hardness, impact energy or stress-rupture
life [25].
25
9 Design for oxidation resistance

Alloys intended for use in high-temperature
environments rely on the formation of a
continuous, compact, slow-growing oxide
layer for oxidation and hot-corrosion resistance. To be protective, this oxide layer must
be chemically, thermodynamically and mechanically stable. Successful alloy design
for oxidative environments is best achieved
by forming adherent scales of either alumina (Al2O3), chromia (Cr2O3) or silica (SiO2).
The basic test method for evaluating oxidation resistance is to expose the material, monitor the kinetics and subsequently
characterise the oxidation products and
substrate material. Exposures are most often performed in air, but can be done in any
controlled mix of corrosive gases, such as
H2/H2S, CO/CO2 or O2/SO2. Oxidation kinetics are usually recorded as weight changes
but may also be followed as changes in
Austenitic stainless
steels are used in
environments in which
a combination of hightemperature corrosion
resistance and mechanical strength is required.
Photo: Stappert SpezialStahl Handel,
Dsseldorf (D)
26
scale thickness. Continuous weight change

is usually obtained by thermo-gravimetric
analysis (TGA). Weight change data provides a very useful measure of the amount
of metal converted to oxide and a helpful
comparison among alloys. However, the ultimate engineering criterion of the oxidation
resistance of a material is retention of mechanical properties after exposure. Creeprupture data from inert atmosphere tests
cannot be used for design purposes when
the material will be exposed to conditions
of severe oxidation [25].
10 Selecting the alloy

Technical data illustrating the properties of
heat-resistant alloys is a very helpful guide in
selecting a suitable alloy for an application.
However, long-term exposure to different
environments and temperatures can neither
be completely documented nor described by
laboratory tests. Experiences obtained from
many actual installations are most helpful.
One must develop the judgement needed
to determine which of the many factors involved are the most important.
Air Those alloys useful in plain hot air are

also suitable for the oxidising combustion
products of natural gas and even coal. Generally, oxidation and strength are the only
issues. Oxidation usually refers to metal
wastage, but concern about product contamination from scale is an occasional issue [15].
10.1 Temperature
bustion products of which are mainly carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and water. It
may contain minor amounts of sulphur. The
reduction in maximum service temperature
compared to pure-air exposure is modest,
at around 50100 C. Sulphur is more abundant in coal and oil. In addition, coal contains
chlorine, while rather high levels of vanadium can be found in oil. Impurity levels vary
according to the grade and origin of the fuel
and can lead to more than 500 C of reduction in maximum service temperature compared to service in air (see also Table 7 and
Table 8). High-nickel alloys are preferred in
high-chlorine or fluorine atmospheres [26].
Temperature is often the first and sometimes

the only data point given in alloy selection,
but a successful material selection cannot
be based on temperature alone. A simple
first guide to alloy selection, however, is to
know the maximum temperature at which a
given alloy may have useful long-term engineering properties. Thin sheet material will
have a lower limiting temperature, due to
proportionally greater losses to oxidation.
10.2 Atmosphere and combustion

gases
The combustion of fossil fuels, biofuels or

waste produces combustion gases containing various aggressive impurities. The least
contaminated fuel is natural gas, the com-
Vacuum Since metal loss from oxidation

can obviously not occur, rather lean alloys
may be used to an extreme temperature, if
their mechanical properties are suitable.
27
11 Applications
A partial list of typical applications can be
divided into two categories. The first consists of parts that go through the furnaces
and are therefore subjected to thermal and/
or mechanical shock. These include trays,
fixtures, conveyor chains and belts and
quenching fixtures. The second comprises
parts that remain in the furnace with less
thermal or mechanical shock. These include
support beams, hearth plates, combustion
tubes, radiant tubes, burners, thermowells,
roller and skid rails, conveyor rolls, walking beams, rotary retorts, pit-type retorts,
muffles, recuperators, fans and drive and
idler drums. In addition, there are applications such as boilers, reaction vessels,
exhaust systems and gas turbines that require strength and oxidation resistance and
where heat-resistant stainless steels are
also used to advantage.
Steel grades designed for aqueous corrosion resistance are used also as heat-resistant grades [3,22,32,33].
Austenitic
1.4301 (304) has good resistance to
atmospheric corrosion and oxidation.
1.4401 (316) has better mechanical
properties than steel grades 1.4301
(304) and 1.4541 (321) and is more resistant to corrosion in some media,
such as fatty acids at high temperatures
and mild sulphuric-acid solutions.
1.4541 (321) and 1.4550 (347) can be
used where solution treatment after
welding is not feasible, such as in
steam lines, superheater tubes and
exhaust systems in reciprocating engines and gas turbines that operate at
temperatures from 425 C to 850 C.
1.4948 (304H) is a creep-resistant
variant of 1.4301, with a standardised
minimum carbon content for service at
temperatures up to 800 C in dry air. It
is used for sodium-cooled fast aggregates, pipelines and pressure vessels.
1.4878 (321H) is a heat-resistant
variant of 1.4541 (321) with a slightly
higher maximum carbon content.
The recommended maximum service
temperature for this steel in dry air
is 800 C. There is also a creep-resistant variant of 1.4541, i.e. 1.4941,
which is included in EN 10028-7 and
in ASTM A 240. Applications for steel
grade 1.4878 are annealing bells and
muffles, cementation and hardening
28
boxes; and for grade 1.4941, pressure vessels and steam boilers.
1.4828 is used for service at temperatures up to 9501000 C in dry air.
Utilisation in the 600900 C temperature range can lead to embrittlement of the material. This grade is
used for parts exposed to both high
temperatures and high mechanical
loads. Typical examples include supporting elements and pipes in furnaces, annealing bells, cementation and
hardening boxes and annealing pots.
1.4833 (309S) and 1.4845 (310S)
rank higher because of their higher
nickel and chromium content. Steel
grade 1.4845 (310S) is useful where
intermittent heating and cooling
are encountered, because it forms
a more adherent scale than type
1.4833 (309 S). Both grades are used
for parts such a firebox sheets, furnace linings, boiler baffles, thermocouple wells, aircraft-cabin heaters
and jet-engine burner liners.
1.4841 is a variant of 1.4845 with increased silicon content for increased

resistance to oxidation. More susceptible to embrittlement than 1.4845, it
is often used for superheater suspensions, annealing pots and enamelling grates.
1.4845 is used at temperatures up to
1100 C in dry air. This steel is also
prone to embrittlement when used in
the 600900 C temperature range.
There is also a creep-resistant variant of 1.4845, i.e. 1.4951, which is
included in EN 10028-7 and in ASTM
A 240. Applications can be found in
industrial furnaces, seam boilers and
petroleum processing plants.
1.4854. The maximum service temperature in air is 1150 C, but after
service at temperatures below approximately 950 C, there is a risk of
reduced room-temperature impact
toughness.
1.4835 is very often used for hydrogen and/or nitrogen atmospheres

but should not be used in carburising environments. The most suitable
temperature range is 8501100 C.
When used at temperatures between
600 C and 850 C, reduced roomtemperature impact toughness might
occur. It is used in furnace construction and petroleum installations.
29
Ferritic
1.4512 (409) is used extensively due
to its good fabricating characteristics,
including weldability and formability,
and its availability. Its best-known
high-temperature applications are in
automotive exhaust systems where
metal temperatures in catalytic converters exceed 550 C. It is also used
for exhaust ducting and silencers in
gas turbines.
1.4016 (430) and 1.4510 (439) are
used for heat exchangers, hot-water
tanks, condensers and furnace parts.
1.4749 (446) is used in industrial ovens, blowers, exhaust systems, furnace equipment, annealing boxes,
kiln liners and pyrometer tubes.
1.4713 is best suited to service temperatures between 550800 C. It
does not form brittle phases but
should only be exposed to moderately corrosive atmospheres, owing
to its low chromium content. It will
withstand oxidising sulphur attacks.
Most common applications are superheater suspensions, annealing
bells, pyrometer sheath tubes.
1.4724 is a truly stainless high-temperature grade with 13 % chromium.
It is applicable in oxidising sulphurcontaining atmospheres. It is not
critical in terms of embrittlement. It
30
is used for rocker bars, rails, grates

and thermocouple sheath tubes.
1.4742 shows better scaling resistance than 1.4724 and can be subjected to reducing sulphur environments
without risk. It is subject to 475 C
embrittlement and grain coarsening
at temperatures above 950 C. Sigma
phase may form after long-term exposure to temperatures around 650 C.
This steel grade is mostly used for
furnace fittings, transport elements,
bolts, annealing tubes and pots in
1.4762 has the highest chromium
content and is therefore the most resistant to reducing sulphurous gases. It is susceptible to the same embrittlement phenomena as 1.4742,
whilst sigma phase forms during
long exposures in the 600800 C
range. Possible applications are coal
burners and conductor strips for
steam-boiler superheaters, within
Martensitic
1.4006 (410) is general-purpose
stainless steel used for steam valves,
pump shafts, bolts and miscellaneous parts requiring corrosion resistance and moderate strength up to
500 C.
12 Cost considerations
Some of the factors affecting the service life,
not necessarily in order of importance, are
alloy selection, design, maintenance procedures, furnace and temperature control, atmosphere, contamination of atmosphere or
workload, accidents, number of shifts operated, thermal cycles and overloading. Highalloyed parts may last from a few months to
many years, depending on operating conditions. In selecting a heat-resistant steel for
a given application, all properties should
be considered in relation to the operating
requirements, to obtain the most economical life.
Life expectancy is best measured in cycles
rather than hours, particularly if the parts
are quenched. It may be cheaper to replace
all trays after a certain number of cycles,
to avoid expensive shutdowns caused by
wrecks in the furnace. Chains or belts that
cycle from room temperature to operating
temperature several times a shift will not
last as long as stationary parts that do not
fluctuate in temperature. Parts for carburising furnaces will not last as long as those
used for straight annealing [16].
From a competitive standpoint, alloy selection must be based on expected cost-effectiveness. The best choice is usually the
lowest-cost material able to meet design
criteria. However, a higher-cost material offering greater reliability may be justified for
certain components in a system that is critical and/or expensive to shut down for maintenance. Knowledge of alloy capabilities can
be helpful in making a wise decision [25].
Heat-resistant alloys are supplied in either
wrought or cast forms. In some situations,
they may be a combination of the two. The
properties and costs of the two forms vary,
even though their chemical compositions
are similar.
31
13 Summary
It should be apparent that the intelligent
selection of an alloy for high-temperature
service is a complex business and should
not be lightly or inexpertly undertaken. It
should also be evident that choice will never
be easy, since the ideal alloy that satisfactorily fills all of every designers requirements
will never be discovered [3].
The very complex nature of high-temperature corrosion and the lack of standardised
testing practices make it virtually impossible or at least not meaningful to present corrosion data in tables.
Corrosion-resistance requirements depend on the processes and constructions
involved. In some plants, components can
be maintained, repaired, or replaced with
little if any interference to normal service
while in other applications maintenance
32
and repair must be carefully planned and

can only be performed during annual or
semi-annual shutdowns. Obviously, a more
careful choice of material must be made in
those cases.
Choosing material for high-temperature applications requires an extensive knowledge
of existing or expected service conditions,
such as gas temperature and composition
and material temperature. Knowledge of
previously used materials, their service performance and the cause(s) of previous failures is usually of great help when trying to
identify an optimum grade [26].
14 Appendix
The values in the tables are given for guidance only [6].
Table 12: Creep properties. Estimated average value of strength for rupture at high temperature(1)
Number
Nearest
AISI/
ASTM
500
Creep-rupture strength Rm (N/mm2)

1,000 h

10,000 h

100,000 h
Temperature
C
Temperature
C
Temperature
C
600
700
800
900
1000
500
600
700
800
900
1000
500
600
700
800
900
1000
1.9
55
20
2.3
1.0

1.4713
1.4724
1.4742
1.4762
1.4749
446
1.4736
160
55
17
7.5
3.6
100
35
9.5
43

1.4878
321H
200
88
30
142
48
15
65
22
10
1.4828
190
75
35
15
120
36
18
8.5
65
16
7,.5
(4)
1.4835 S30815
238
105
50
24
(12)
157
63
27
13
(7)
88
35
15
1.4833
309S
190
75
35
15
120
36
18
8.5
65
16
7.5
1.4845
310S
170
80
35
15
130
40
18
8.5
80
18
1.4841
314
170
90
40
20
130
40
20
10
80
18
1.4864
180
75
35
15
125
45
20
75
25
1.5
1.4876
200
90
45
20
152
68
30
10
114
48
21
1.4877
175
80
24
10
(3.5)
140
52
16
(1.5)
1.4872
80
26
11
45
12
1.4818 S30415
238
105
46
18
(7)
157
63
25
10
(4)
88
35
14
(1.5)
1.4854 S35315
200
84
41
22
12
127
56
28
15
80
36
18
9.2
4.8
1.4886 N08330
190
80
43
22
130
55
26
13
1.4887
190
80
43
22
130
55
26
13
1.4821
160
55
17
7.5
3.6
1.9
(1)
100
35
9.5
4.3
Values in parentheses involve time and/or stress extrapolation
33
Table 13: Creep properties. Estimated average value of strength for 1 % elongation at high temperature(1)
Nearest
Number AISI/
ASTM
500
Elongation 1 % in 1,000 h
(Strength in N/mm2)
(Strength in N/mm2)
(Strength in N/mm2)
Temperature
C
Temperature
C
Temperature
C
600
700
800
900
1000
500
600
700
800
900
1000
500
600
700
800
900
1000
1.0

1.4713
1.4724
1.4742
1.4762
1.4749
446
1.4736
1.4878
321H
80
27.5
8.5
3.7
1.8
50
110
45
15
17.5
4.7
2.1

85
30
10
1.4828
120
50
20
80
25
10
1.4835
S30815
170
66
31
15.5
(8)
126
45
19
10
(5)
80
26
11
(3)
1.4833
309S
100
40
18
70
25
10
1.4845
310S
100
45
18
10
90
30
10
1.4841
314
105
50
23
10
95
35
10
1.4864
105
50
25
12
80
35
15
1.4876
130
70
30
13
90
40
15
40
14
1.5
1.4877
1.4872
55
15
34
1.4818
S30415
147
61
25
(2.5)
126
42
15
(1.7)
80
26
(1.0)
1.4854
S35315
150
60
26
12.5
6.5
88
34
15
4.5
52
21
9.7
5.1
3.0
1.4886
N08330
110
60
25
12
60
35
20
10
(4)
1.4887
110
60
25
12
60
35
20
10
(4)
1.4821
80
27.5
8.5
3.7
1.8
1.0
(1)
Values in parentheses involve time and/or stress extrapolation
34
50
17.5
4.7
2.1
Table 14: Physical properties for heat-resistant steels
Number
Nearest
AISI/
ASTM
Linear expansion coefficient

10-6K-1
between 20 C and
Density
Thermal conductivity
Temperature
C
kg/dm3
200
400
600
at 20 C
800
Specific heat
capacity
Electrical
resistivity
at 500 C
kJ/kgK
at 20 C
mm2/m
at 20 C
W/(mK)
Magnetisability
1000

1.4713
7.7
11.5
12.0
12.5
13.0
32
25
0.45
0.70
1.4724
7.7
10.5
11.5
12.0
12.5
21
23
0.50
0.75
yes
yes
1.4742
7.7
10.5
11.5
12.0
12.5
13.5
19
25
0.50
0.93
yes
1.4762
7.7
10.5
11.5
12,0
12.0
13.5
17
23
0.50
1.1
yes
1.4749
446
7.7
10.0
11.0
11.5
12.0
13.0
17
23
0.50
0.70
yes
1.4736
7.7
10.5
10.8
12.0
12.5
13.0
21
23
0.50
0.60
yes
1.4878
321H
7.9
17.0
18.0
18.5
19.0
15
0.50
0.73
no(1)
7.9
16.5
17.5
18.0
18.5
19.5
15
21
0.50
0.85
no(1)

1.4828
1.4835
S30815
7.8
17.0
18.0
18.5
19.0
19.5
15
21
0.50
0.85
no(1)
1.4833
309S
7.9
16.0
17.5
18.0
18.5
19.5
15
19
0.50
0.78
no(1)
1.4845
310S
7.9
15.5
17.0
17.5
18.5
19.0
15
19
0.50
0.85
no(1)
1.4841
314
7.9
15.5
17.0
17.5
18.0
19.0
15
19
0.50
0.90
no(1)
1.4864
8.0
15.0
16.0
17.0
17.5
18.5
12.5
17
0.55
1.0
no(1)
1.4876
8.0
15.0
16.0
17.0
17.5
18.5
12
17
0.55
1.0
no(1)
1.4877
8.0
15.5
16.5
16.5
17.7
18.4
12
20
0.45
0.96
no(1)
1.4872
7.8
16.5
18.0
18.5
19.0
19.5
14.5
20
0.50
0.75
no(1)
1.4818
S30415
7.8
16.5
18.0
18.5
19.0
20.0
15
21
0.50
0.85
no(1)
1.4854
S35315
7.9
15.5
16.5
17.0
17.5
18.0
11
18.5
0.45
1.0
no(1)
1.4886
N08330
8.0
15.5
16.0
17,0
17.7
18.0
12
19.5
0.46
1.0
no(1)
1.4887
8.0
15.5
16.0
17.0
17.7
18.0
12
19.5
0.46
1.0
no(1)
1.4821
7.7
13.0
13.5
14.0
17
23
0.50
0.90
yes
(1)
14.5
15.0
slightly magnetic when cold worked
35
15 References
[1]
Stainless Steel - High Temperature Resistance; available at

http://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1175
[2] Outokumpu, High Temperature Stainless Steel Properties, available at
http://www.outokumpu.com/en/Products/Grades/stainless-properties/
high-temperature-grades/Pages/default.aspx
[3] ASM International, Stainless Steels at High Temperatures, Course 18, 1994
[4] Cunat, P.-J., The Euro Inox Handbook of Stainless Steel, Materials and Application
Series, Volume 1, 2002
[5] Itoh, I., et al., Development of Ferritic Stainless Steel Foil as Metal Support for Automotive Catalytic Converter, Nippon Steel Technical Report No.64, 1995
[6] EN 10095: Heat resisting steels and nickel alloys, CEN European Committee for Standardization, 1999
[7] Our offer for automotive exhaust: a range of tailored solutions; retrieved in June 2012
from http://www.aperam.com/uploads/stainlesseurope/Brochures/
200807_Exhaustoffer_GB_241ko.pdf
[8] High Temperature Properties; available at
http://www.ssina.com/composition/temperature.html
[9] EN 10088-1:2005 Stainless steels Part 1: List of stainless steels
[10] EN 10302:2008 Creep resisting steels, nickel and cobalt alloys
[11] Schedin, E., Ivarsson, B., Andersson, M., Lindstrom, R., Duplex stainless steel in fire,

Proceedings of Stainless Steel Science and Market 2011 Conference, Como, Italy
[12] ASM Specialty Handbook, Stainless Steels, edited by J.R. Davis, ASM International, 1994
[13] EN 10028-7:2007 - Flat products made of steels for pressure purposes - Part 7:
Stainless steels
[14] Nickel Institute, Publication Nr. 266, Heat and corrosion resistant castings: Their engineering properties and applications
[15] Rolled Alloys, Heat Resistant Alloys Handbook, available at

http://www.rolledalloys.fr/trcdocs/heatresist/handbook.pdf
[16] Lai, G.Y., Heat-Resistant Materials for Furnace Parts, Trays and Fixtures, Heat Treating,
Vol.4, ASM Handbook, ASM International, 1991, p.510-518
[17] ThyssenKrupp Nirosta, Corrosion of Stainless Steels, available at http://www.nirosta.de/
fileadmin/media/produkte/werkstoff-PDF/Verarbeitung-NIROSTA-Werkstoffe-gb.pdf
[18] Atlas Steels, The Atlas Steels Technical Handbook of Stainless Steels, available at

http://www.atlassteels.com.au/documents/Atlas_Technical_Handbook_rev_July_2010.pdf
[19] Nickel Institute, Better high temperature strength than other grades, Stainless Steel

Focus, July, 2009, p.30-33
[20] ThyssenKrupp Nirosta, Thermax Heat-Resistant Steels, available at

http://www.thyssenkrupp-nirosta.de/fileadmin/media/PDF/thermax_en.pdf
36
[21] Outokumpu, Microstructural Stability, available at


high-temperature-grades/structural-stability/Pages/default.aspx
[22] Outokumpu, High Temperature Austenitic Stainless Steel, available at
http://www.outokumpu.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/
Austenitic_High_Temperature_Grades_Datasheet.pdf
[23] Cunat, P-J, Working with stainless steels, Euro Inox, 2nd edition, 2009
[24] ASM Handbook, Heat Treating, Vol. 4, ASM International, 1991
[25] ASM Specialty Handbook, Heat-Resistant Materials, edited by J.R. Davis, 1997
[26] Outokumpu Corrosion Handbook, Tenth Edition, Outokumpu Oyj, 2009
[27] Outokumpu, Resistance to Oxidation, available at
high-temperature-grades/oxidation/Pages/default.aspx
[28] Outokumpu, High Temperature Stainless Steel, available at http://www.outokumpu.com/
SiteCollectionDocuments/Austenitic_High_Temperature_Grades_Datasheet.pdf
[29] Leffler, B., Stainless Stainless Steels and Their Properties, available at
http://static.gest.unipd.it/esercizi/IIP_pmmi/acciai_inox.pdf
[30] Outokumpu, Sulphur Attack, available at
high-temperature-grades/sulphur-attack/Pages/default.aspx
[31] Outokumpu, Carburization and Nitridation, available at
high-temperature-grades/c-n-pickup/Pages/default.aspx
[32] Wegst, C., Wegst, M., Stahlschlssel, Verlag Stahlschlssel Wegst, 2004
[33] Outokupu, High Temperature Ferritic Stainless Steel, available at
http://www.outokumpu.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/
High_temperature_ferritic_grades_Datasheet.pdf
37
ISBN 978-2-87997-064-6
Diamant Building Bd. A. Reyers 80 1030 Brussels Belgium Phone +32 2 706 82-67 Fax -69 E-mail info@euro-inox.org www.euro-inox.org

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What is Euro Inox and what are its objectives?

What is Euro Inox and what are its objectives?

What are some of the main mechanical properties of stainless steels at high temperatures?

What are some of the main mechanical properties of stainless steels at high temperatures?

Stainless Steels at High Temperatures

Materials and Applications Series, Volume 18

S tain l ess S tee l s at hi g h tem p e r at u r es

S tain l ess S tee l s at hi g h tem p e r at u r es

STAINLESS STEELS AT HIGH TEMPERATURES

Depending on the operating conditions, the

STAINLESS STEELS AT HIGH TEMPERATURES

2 The role of alloying elements

Higher nitrogen and carbon content enhance creep strength.

and Al2O3. The adherence of the oxide scale

Chromite, Dyne mine

STAINLESS STEELS AT HIGH TEMPERATURES

3 The role of microstructure

For most ferritic grades, long-term service

Table 1: Chemical composition of heat-resistant ferritic steels [6]

STAINLESS STEELS AT HIGH TEMPERATURES

Figure 1 gives a broad idea of the hotstrength advantages of stainless steels

Tensile Strength for Rupture in 1000 h

Steam turbine half-casing and rotor. The rotor

Austenitic stainless steels provide, next to

STAINLESS STEELS AT HIGH TEMPERATURES

Table 2: Chemical composition of austenitic heat-resistant steels [6]

*patented steel grade

Duplex stainless steels have a mixed ferrite

The latest research confirms that duplex

STAINLESS STEELS AT HIGH TEMPERATURES

Table 3: Chemical composition of duplex heat-resistant steel [6]

Precipitation-hardening (PH) stainless steels

The temperature range in which the above

Steels from EN 10028-7

STAINLESS STEELS AT HIGH TEMPERATURES

4 Mechanical properties at high temperatures

4.1 Creep strength

pressed in terms of creep strength its

STAINLESS STEELS AT HIGH TEMPERATURES

4.2 Stress-rupture properties

in stress. Differences can often be traced to

Stress-rupture strength in 10.000 h, psi

Stress-rupture strength in 10.000 h, MPa

Figure 2: Stress-rupture strength in 10,000 h of different stainless steels grades [25]

STAINLESS STEELS AT HIGH TEMPERATURES

4.3 Short-term tensile strength

The values obtained are as much as five or six

High-temperature tensile tests are similar to

Tensile strength (or ultimate strength) is

Tensile strength is tested with dedicated equipment.

STAINLESS STEELS AT HIGH TEMPERATURES

There are many influencing factors when material is

4.5 Thermal fatigue

STAINLESS STEELS AT HIGH TEMPERATURES

Strength is rarely the only requisite in

4.6 Temperature gradients

Increase in length (or diameter, thickness,

Austenitic stainless steel

Duplex stainless steel

Ferritic stainless steel