Effect of annealing and strain rate on the microstructure and mechanical properties of austenitic stainless steel 316L manufactured by selective laser melting

Abstract

New insights are proposed regarding the α′-martensite transformation and strengthening mechanisms of austenitic stainless steel 316L fabricated using selective laser melting (SLM-ed 316L SS). This study investigates the effects of annealing on the microstructural evolution, mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance of SLM-ed 316L SS specimens. The exceptional ultimate tensile strength (807 MPa) and good elongation (24.6%) of SLM-ed 316L SS was achieved by SLM process and annealing treatment at 900 °C for 1 h, which was attributed to effective dislocation strengthening and grain boundary strengthening. During tensile deformation, annealed samples exhibited deformation twinning as a result of the migration from high-angle grain boundaries to low-angle grain boundaries, facilitating the α′-martensite transformation. Consequently, a deformation mechanism model is proposed. The contribution of dislocation strengthening (~61.4%) is the most important strengthening factor for SLM-ed 316L SS annealed 900 °C for 1 h, followed by grain boundary strengthening and solid solution strengthening. Furthermore, the corrosion resistance of SLM-ed 316L SS after annealing treatment is poor due to its limited re-passivation ability.

Keywords

Selective laser melting (SLM) / 316L stainless Steel / Strain rate / Mechanical properties

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Funding

National Key Research and Development Program of China(No. 2020YFE0205300)

National Natural Science Foundation of China(No. U21A20128)

Chengdu Xianhe Semiconductor Technology Co., Lt., China(No. 45000-71020047)

Chengdu Rihe Xianrui Technology Co., Ltd., China(No. 45000-71020048)

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Shanghai University and Periodicals Agency of Shanghai University and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature