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Stainless steel grades are now widely used for automotive exhaust systems, driven by the need to increase their durability and to reduce their weight. Exhaust Manifolds are subjected to more severe conditions and peak gas temperatures of 1000°C could be reached in new downsized gasoline engines. Also, longer guaranties are now required. This evolution is a direct consequence of the effort to decrease automotive pollutant emissions with new environmental regulations throughout the world. The paper will deal with the thermal-mechanical fatigue (TMF) damage prediction of fabricated automotive exhaust manifold fixed to the engine. A dedicated lifespan prediction approach was created based on elasto-viscoplastic behavior and damage models identification from different thermal-mechanical tests.

One way to respect the Euro 5 depollution norm is the downsizing of the engine, which leads to more severe in-use operating conditions especially an increase of the exhaust gas temperature. Consequently, the hot part of the exhaust system, i.e., from manifold to the catalytic converter, could be subjected to maximal temperature up to 1000°C. Moreover, an improved durability and longer life guaranties are also required for such parts. In this context, a new ferritic stainless steel grade has been developed, named K44X (AISI 444, EN 1.4521), which fulfills these new specifications and that could be applied for both fabricated manifold and turbocharger shells. The K44X, with a chromium content of 19% (weight), an addition of 2% molybdenum and 0.6% of niobium, offers excellent high temperature properties like cyclic oxidation, creep and thermal fatigue resistance, a low thermal expansion coefficient.