Characterization and Mechanical Properties of Stainless Steel 316L Fabricated Using Additive Manufacturing Processes

Recently, additive manufacturing (AM) technology such as powder bed fusion (PBF) and directed energy deposition (DED) are actively attempted as consumers' needs for parts with complex shapes and expensive materials. In the present work, the effect of processing parameters on the mechanical properties of 316L stainless steel coupons fabricated by PBF and DED AM technology was investigated. Three major mechanical tests, including tension, impact, and fatigue, were performed on coupons extracted from the standard components at angles of 0, 45, 90 degrees for the build layers, and compared with those of investment casting and commercial wrought products. Austenitic 316L stainless steel additively manufactured have been well known to be generally stronger but highly vulnerable to impact and lack in elongation compared to casting and wrought materials. The process-induced pore density has been proved the most critical factor in determining the mechanical properties of AM-built metal parts. Therefore, it was strongly recommended to reduce those lack of fusion defects as much as possible by carefully control the energy density of the laser. For example, under the high energy density conditions, PBF-built parts showed 46% higher tensile strength but more than 75% lower impact strength than the wrought products. However, by optimizing the energy density of the laser of the metal AM system, it has been confirmed that it is possible to manufacture metal parts that can satisfy both strength and ductility, and thus it is expected to be actively applied in the field of electric power section soon.

적층식 제조 공정을 활용한 스테인레스 316L 제작기술의 특징과 기계적 속성