Uniaxial ratchetting characteristics of 316FR steel at room temperature are studied experimentally. Cyclic tension tests, in which maximum strain increases every cycle by prescribed amounts, are conducted systematically in addition to conventional monotonic, cyclic, and ratchetting tests. Thus hysteresis loop closure, cyclic hardening and viscoplasticity are discussed in the context of constitutive modeling for ratchetting. The cyclic tension tests reveal that very slight opening of hysteresis loops occurs, and that neither accumulated plastic strain nor maximum plastic strain induces significant isotropic hardening if strain range is relatively small. These findings are used to discuss the ratchetting tests. It is thus shown that uniaxial ratchetting of the material at room temperature is brought about by slight opening of hysteresis loops as well as by viscoplasticity, and that kinematic hardening governs almost all strain hardening in uniaxial ratchetting if stress range is not large.

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