Influence of heat treatment temperature on the microstructural, mechanical, and wear behavior of 316L stainless steel fabricated by laser powder bed additive manufacturing

Abstract

A metal component fabricated by additive manufacturing (AM) is generally required to be heat treated to enhance microstructural and mechanical aspects. This present study aims to contribute to the literature in understanding the effect of heat treatment and various heat treatment temperatures on as-built components fabricated by AM. In this study, various heat treatment temperatures were applied to 316L stainless steel specimens produced by selective laser melting (SLM) and the effects on the microstructure, microhardness, XRD response, porosity, and wear behavior were investigated. The microhardness, XRD, and wear response of SLM 316L were compared with those of wrought 316L. The results illustrate that the heat treatment temperature has a substantial effect on the evolution of microstructure, XRD response, and porosity. Our results also support the argument that the effect of porosity on wear behavior is more dominant than the effect on microhardness. It should also be noted that the wrought 316L stainless steel specimen shows much better wear resistance than SLM 316L specimen.