Strain Compensation Constitutive Model and Parameter Optimization for Nb-Contained 316LN

Hot deformation behavior of Nb-contained 316LN was investigated using a series of compression tests performed on a Gleeble-1500D simulator at temperature of 950⁻1200 °C and strain rate of 0.01~1 s−1. Based on the strain compensation method, a modified Arrhenius constitutive model considering the comprehensive effects of temperature, strain rate, and strain on flow stress was established, and the accuracy of the proposed model was evaluated by introducing correlation coefficient (R) and average relative error (AARE). The values of R and AARE were calculated as 0.995 and 4.48%, respectively, proving that the modified model has a high accuracy in predicting the flow stress of Nb-contained 316LN. The microstructure evolution and the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) mechanism of the experimental material were explicated by optical microscopy (OM), electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was found that continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) characterized by subgrain evolution and discontinuous dynamic recrystallization (DDRX) featured by grain boundary nuclei are two main dynamic recrystallization (DRX) mechanisms of Nb-contained 316LN. Furthermore, based on the results of microstructure analyses, optimum parameters were obtained as temperature ranges of 1100~1200 °C and strain rate ranges of 0.01~1 s−1