Material tests of 316L austenitic stainless-clad steel at elevated temperatures

Mechanical properties of stainless-clad (SC) steel plates at elevated temperatures are key parameters for fire resistant design and numerical simulation analysis of SC steel structures. Compared with pure stainless steel and pure ordinary steel, SC steel not only combines advantages of the two component metals, but may also balance the performance and cost; however, it behaves quite differently in terms of material properties. In order to quantify this performance, tension coupon tests at room as well as elevated temperatures are conducted on the SC steel plate. Based on the test results, failure modes of the tension coupons are analysed, and full-range stress-strain curves are obtained; material properties are accordingly determined and described herein, and analyses are performed on several properties including yield strength, ultimate tensile stress, elastic modulus and elongation after fracture. It is found that with an increase of the temperature, both the elastic modulus and strengths are reduced remarkably. For determining these material properties quantitatively and developing robust constitutive models of the SC steel at elevated temperatures, more test data are needed, and the incorporation of the  effects of the clad ratio on the material properties at both room and elevated temperatures is also necessary. The present research outcomes may provide valuable reference for fire design and calculations of the SC steel.