Sandvik 316L (Plate and sheet)

Chemical composition (nominal) %

Forms of supply

Plate Sheet and Coil

Plate Sheet and Coil are delivered in the solution annealed and pickled condition.
Sheet may be supplied as annealed and pickled, polished or in the bright-annealed condition
The size ranges available are given below Sizes in Stock.

Plate sheet and coil

Sandvik 316/316L Plate, sheet and coil is stocked in a wide range of sizes according to ISO and ASTM.
Details of our stock programme are given below:

Sandvik Australia's Stock Program

Plate (No1/2B Finish)

Thickness Range - 3mm - 100mm
Widths - 1220mm,1500mm,2000mm,2500mm,3000mm

Sheet (2B/No4 Finish)

Thickness Range - 0.55mm - 3mm
Widths - 750mm, 900/915mm, 1200/1219mm, 1250mm, 1500mm, 1524mm, 2000mm
Lengths - 1800/1829mm, 2400/2438mm, 2500mm, 3000/3048mm, 3600/3650mm, 4000mm, 5000mm, 6000mm

Coil (2B/No4/No1 Finish)

Thickness Range - 0.55mm - 10mm
Widths - 750mm, 900/915mm, 1000/1050mm, 1200/1219mm, 1250mm, 1500/1524mm,2000mm

Mechanical properties

At 20°C

At 68°F

1 MPa = 1 N/mm²
a) R_p0.2 and R_p1.0 correspond to 0.2% offset and 1.0% offset yield strength, respectively.
b) Based on L₀ = 5.65 ÖS₀ where L₀ is the original gauge length and S₀ the original cross-section area.
c) NFA 49-117, 49-217 with min 45% can be fulfilled on request.

The impact strength (Charpy V) at -60 °C (-75 °F) is min. 150 J (110 ft-lb).

At high temperatures

Physical properties

Density: 8.0 g/cm³, 0.29 lb/in³

Corrosion resistance

Sandvik 316L has good resistance in:

• Organic acids at high concentrations and moderate temperatures
• Inorganic acids, e.g. phosphoric and sulphuric acids, at moderate concentrations and temperatures. The steel can also be used in sulphuric acid of concentrations above 90% at low temperature.
• Salt solutions, e.g. sulphates, sulphides and sulphites
• Caustic environments

Stress corrosion cracking

Austenitic steels are susceptible to stress corrosion cracking. This may occur at temperatures above about 60°C (140°F) if the steel is subjected to tensile stresses and at the same time comes into contact with certain solutions, particularly those containing chlorides. Such service conditions should therefore be avoided. Conditions when plants are shut down must also be considered, as the condensates which are then formed can develop conditions that lead to both stress corrosion cracking and pitting.

In applications demanding high resistance to stress corrosion cracking, austenitic-ferritic steels, such as Sandvik SAF 2304 or SAF 2205 are recommended. See data sheets S-1871-ENG and S-1874-ENG.

Intergranular corrosion

Sandvik 316L has a low carbon content and therefore better resistance to intergranular corrosion than steels of type AISI 316. The TTC-diagram, Figure 1, shows the result of corrosion testing for 24 hours in boiling Strauss solution (12% sulphuric acid, 6% copper sulphate). The resistance to grain boundary attack is much better for AISI 316L than for AISI 316. This is an advantage in complicated welding operations.

Figure 2. TTC-diagram for Sandvik 3R60 (AISI 316L) and AISI 316.

Pitting and crevice corrosion

Resistance to these types of corrosion improves with increasing molybdenum content. 1

Gas corrosion

Sandvik 316L can be uses in

• Air up to 850°C (1560°F)
• Steam up to 750°C (1380°F)

Creep behaviour should also be taken into account when using the steel in the creep range.

In flue gases containing sulphur, the corrosion resistance is reduced. In such environments the steel can be used at temperatures up to 600-750 °C (1100-1380 °F) depending on service conditions. Factors to consider are whether the atmosphere is oxidising or reducing, i.e. the oxygen content, and whether impurities such as sodium and vanadium are present.

Heat treatment

Plate, sheet and coil is delivered in heat treated condition. If additional heat treatment is needed after further processing the following is recommended.

Stress relieving

850-950°C (1560-1740°F), cooling in air

Solution annealing

1000-1100°C (1830-2010°F), rapid cooling in air or water.

Welding

The weldability of Sandvik 316L is good. Suitable welding methods are manual metal-arc welding with covered electrodes and gas-shielded arc welding with the TIG and MIG methods as first choice. Preheating and post-weld treatment are not normally necessary.

Since the material has low thermal conductivity and high thermal expansion, welding must be carried out with a low heat input and with welding plans well thought out in advance so that the deformation of the welded joint can be kept under control. If, despite these precautions, it is foreseen that the residual stresses might impair the function of the weldment, we recommend that the entire structure be stress relieved. See under Heat treatment.

As filler metals for gas-shielded arc welding we recommend wire electrodes and rods Sandvik 19.12.3.L, 19.12.3.LSi. In shielded metal-arc welding (SMAW) covered electrodes Sandvik 19.12.3.LR, 19.12.3.LRV or 19.12.3.LRHD are recommended. If flux cored arc welding is preferred, the electrodes 19.12.3.LT or 19.12.3.LVT should be used.

Bending

Annealing after cold bending is not normally necessary, but this point must be decided with regard to the degree of bending and the operating conditions. Heat treatment, if any, should take the form of stress relieving or solution annealing, see under Heat treatment.

Hot bending is carried out at 1100-850°C (2010-1560°F) and should be followed by solution annealing.

Applications

Sandvik 316L is used for a wide range of industrial applications where steels of type AISI 304 and 304L have insufficient corrosion resistance. Typical examples are: heat exchangers, condensers, pipelines, cooling and heating coils in the chemical, petrochemical, pulp and paper and food industries.