The prediction of the stress relaxation behaviour of welding induced residual stresses in thick section 316H austenitic stainless steel welded component provides an input for quantifying reheat crack initiation observed in the heat affected zone. The cracks occur after service at a temperature range from 490 to 520 C. The present work reviews some of the widely applied stress relaxation models. The relative strengths and weaknesses of these existing models are discussed. An improved constitutive equation derived from a forward uniaxial creep deformation law is proposed. The relative importance of the parameters selected in the new constitutive model, when compared with experimental data, is discussed. The importance of a better understanding of the role of the internal stress and its measurement is highlighted.Units for all of these symbols are given in the text. All strains and stresses considered in this paper are engineering strains and engineering stresses, rather than the true strains and true stresses.