The influence of temperature on fatigue life was investigated for type 304L stainless steel in Ar atmosphere. Low cycle fatigue tests were performed at temperatures of 300k, 573k, 673k, 773k, 873k, and 973k.
The experimental conditions were push-pull and continuous triangular cycling with a total strain controlled, axial strain rate of 4×$10^{-3}S^{-1}$.
The experimental results indicated that the fatigue life decreased with increasing temperature. However, it showed a plateau at 573-773k (dynamic strain aging temperature). This fatigue phenomenon was identical with that of tensile property. The fracture had occurred by the transgranular mode, while grain boundary cavities were not observed in this experiment.
The variation of fatigue life with temperature can be explained by the analysis of hysteresis loop energy.