Anisotropy in tensile properties and fracture behaviour of 316L stainless steel parts manufactured by fused deposition modelling and sintering

Abstract

Fused deposition modelling and sintering (FDMS) is a potential metal additive manufacturing technology due to its low cost and high efficiency. The mixture of metal powder and binder goes through heating, extrusion, debinding and sintering processes to produce the compact finished part. However, it is generally believed that parts produced by FDMS possess poor and anisotropic tensile properties, which always attributes to the weak interlayer combination. The current work aimed to enhance tensile properties and better understand the anisotropic fracture behavior of the 316L stainless steel prepared by FDMS. By process optimization, the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength obtained in this work are increased by 26.1% and 15.2%, based on the highest performance reported in previous studies. According to the ultimate tensile strength, the performance difference between the horizontal and vertical directions has been reduced to 27%. Furthermore, the experimental results indicated that the clustered irregular shape holes evolved from primitive voids prefer to distribute in the build direction, resulting in anisotropic tensile performance. It is suggested that the mechanical properties could be improved by applying a smaller extrusion diameter and rolling-assisted printing. In addition, the current FDMS parts show qualified performance for producing the customized and small batch components.

Keywords

Fused deposition modelling / 316L stainless steel / Anisotropy / Mechanical properties / Fracture behaviour

References

[1.] DebRoy T, Wei HL, Zuback JS, et al. Additive manufacturing of metallic components-process, structure and properties. Prog Mater Sci, 2018, 92: 112-224.

[2.] Ziaee M, Crane NB. Binder jetting: a review of process, materials, and methods. Addit Manuf, 2019, 28: 781-801.

[3.] Yu K, Ye S, Mo W, et al. Oxygen content control in metal injection molding of 316L austenitic stainless steel using water atomized powder. J Manuf Process, 2020, 50: 498-509.

[4.] Ye H, Liu XY, Hong H. Fabrication of metal matrix composites by metal injection molding—a review. J Mater Process Technol, 2008, 200(1/3): 12-24.

[5.] Burkhardt C, Freigassner P, Weber O et al (2016) Fused filament fabrication (FFF) of 316L green parts for the MIM process. World PM2016-AM-Deposition Technologies

[6.] Singh G, Missiaen JM, Bouvard D, et al. Copper extrusion 3D printing using metal injection moulding feedstock: analysis of process parameters for green density and surface roughness optimization. Addit Manuf, 2021, 38: 101778.

[7.] Fajobi MA, Loto TR, Oluwole OO. Austenitic 316L stainless steel; corrosion and organic inhibitor: a review. Key Eng Mater, 2021, 886: 126-132.

[8.] Zhang Y, Feng E, Mo W, et al. On the microstructures and fatigue behaviors of 316L stainless steel metal injection molded with gas-and water-atomized powders. Metals, 2018, 8(11): 893.

[9.] Eshkabilov S, Ara I, Sevostianov I, et al. Mechanical and thermal properties of stainless steel parts, manufactured by various technologies, in relation to their microstructure. Int J Eng Sci, 2021, 159: 103398.

[10.] Bajaj P, Hariharan A, Kini A, et al. Steels in additive manufacturing: a review of their microstructure and properties. Mater Sci Eng A, 2020, 772: 138633.

[11.] Thompson Y, Gonzalez-Gutierrez J, Kukla C, et al. Fused filament fabrication, debinding and sintering as a low cost additive manufacturing method of 316L stainless steel. Addit Manuf, 2019, 30: 100861.

[12.] Mao Y, Li J, Li W, et al. Binder jetting additive manufacturing of 316L stainless-steel green parts with high strength and low binder content: binder preparation and process optimization. J Mater Process Technol, 2021, 291: 117020.

[13.] Liu B, Wang Y, Lin Z, et al. Creating metal parts by fused deposition modeling and sintering. Mater Lett, 2020, 263: 127252.

[14.] Kurose T, Abe Y, Santos MV, et al. Influence of the layer directions on the properties of 316l stainless steel parts fabricated through fused deposition of metals. Materials, 2020, 13(11): 2493.

[15.] Heaney DF, German R. Handbook of metal injection molding, 2018, Cambridge: Woodhead Publishing

[16.] Gonzalez-Gutierrez J. Selection of appropriate polyoxymethylene-based binder for powder injection molding feedstock. J. Plast. Technol., 2014, 10(5): 150-164.

[17.] Gong H, Crater C, Ordonez A et al (2018) Material properties and shrinkage of 3D printing parts using ultrafuse stainless steel 316LX filament. In: MATEC Web of Conferences 249:01001.https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201824901001

[18.] Iyer S, McIntosh J, Bandyopadhyay A, et al. Microstructural characterization and mechanical properties of Si3N4 formed by fused deposition of ceramics. Int J Appl Ceram Technol, 2008, 5(2): 127-137.

[19.] Kumar P, Jayaraj R, Suryawanshi J, et al. Fatigue strength of additively manufactured 316L austenitic stainless steel. Acta Mater, 2020, 199: 225-239.

[20.] Röttger A, Boes J, Theisen W, et al. Microstructure and mechanical properties of 316L austenitic stainless steel processed by different SLM devices. Int J Adv Manuf Technol, 2020, 108: 769-783.

[21.] Gonzalez-Gutierrez J, Cano S, Schuschnigg S, et al. Additive manufacturing of metallic and ceramic components by the material extrusion of highly-filled polymers: a review and future perspectives. Materials, 2018, 11(5): 840.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001809(51805238); Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission(KQTD20170328154443162)