Stainless Steels
Stainless steels and nickel-base alloys are high-alloyed steels designed for service in aggressive environments placing high demands on knowledge of both material properties and the material response in the service environment. The Stainless MRC is dedicated to support the whole product chain from materials producers, via welding and joining to the end user of stainless steels, also supporting with contract work on failure analyses of service cases. The common use of stainless steel has been as a corrosion resistant material, with a limited focus on the load bearing properties. This is now changing with the introduction of lean duplex stainless steels offering excellent corrosion resistance, high strength and, most important, at a reasonable price. The major benefit is of course that stainless steels require very limited maintenance compared to a carbon steel application.
All these aspects of production and use of stainless steels and nickel-base alloys are attended in the MRC from process and alloy development, via microstructure characterisation, property characterisation e.g. mechanical and corrosion and joining, not only welding but also other types of joining.
Activities in this MRC cover
Process simulation and optimisation
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Simulation and control of annealing processes
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Process optimisation of cleaning, pre-treatment and pickling methods
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Rolling properties of stainless steels
Fabrication
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Forming, pressing and machining of stainless steels
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Modifying of stainless surfaces
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Fatigue properties of stainless components
Welding and microstructure modification
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Properties of stainless steels, Ni-base alloys and joints of these materials
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Influence of microstructure and alloying elements
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Corrosion of welded and brazed joints
Localised corrosion in aqueous environments
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Hydrogen embrittlement and transport
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Stress corrosion cracking in user applications
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Influence of alloying elements on corrosion properties
High-temperature corrosion
High-temperature strength
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Testing with LCT (Low-Cycle Fatigue) and TMF (Thermo Mechanical Fatigue)
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Influence of load in aggressive environments
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Creep and growth of fatigue cracks
Laboratories facilities
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Wet corrosion laboratory for the most common types of corrosion testing such as general, pitting, crevice corrosion et cetera. The purpose of laboratory is to serve as a flexible base for corrosion research using small-scale equipment not requiring a dedicated laboratory.
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The stress corrosion laboratory is used for strain testing in aggressive environments and is equipped with six Denison constant load units with possible load up to 1000 kg dead weight and two Cortest SSRT (Slow Strain Rate) testing units with max load two tons. Both the constant load and the SSRT equipment have been modified with wire sensors to better perceive strain during loading.
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The high-temperature corrosion laboratory is used for corrosion testing of material in aggressive environments at elevated temperatures, i.e. combustion. Testing can be performed in different toxic and corrosive gasses such as for example CO and SO2. The laboratory facilitates a number of standard tube furnaces and also a furnace for thermal cycling simulating service conditions. There is also a unit for thermogravimetry i.e. weight loss/gain at high temperatures and slow strain testing and low cycle fatigue testing in high-temperature corrosive atmospheres.
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