Laser Additive Manufacturing of 316L Stainless Steel Thin-wall Ring Parts

The process parameters of laser additive manufacturing have an important influence on the forming quality of the produced items or parts.In the present work,a finite element model for simulating transient heat transfer in such processes has been implemented using the ANSYS software,and the temperature and stress distributions related to 316L stainless steel thin-walled ring parts have been simulated and analyzed.The effect of the laser power,scanning speed,and scanning mode on temperature distribution,molten pool structure,deformation,and stress field has been studied.The simulation results show that the peak temperature,weld pool size,deformation,and residual stress increase with an increase in laser power and a decrease in the scanning speed.The scanning mode has no obvious effect on temperature distribution,deformation,and residual stress.In addition,a forming experiment was carried out.The experimental results show that the samples prepared by laser power P=800 W,V=6 mm/s,and the normal scanning method display good quality,whereas the samples prepared under other parameters have obvious defects.The experimental findings are consistent with the simulation results.

EFFECT OF NANOCRYSTALLINE AND TWIN BOUNDARIES ON CORROSION BEHAVIOR OF 316L STAINLESS STEEL USING SMAT

By means of surface mechanical attrition treatment （ SMAT）, the groin size with a diameter of aboat 60hm formed at about 20μm depth and numerous mechanical twins at about 50μm depth from the treated surface were synthesized in 316L stainless steel because of the different distributions of strain and strain rate along depth orientation. For instance the maximum strain rate reached 10^3-10^4s^-1 on the top surface. The relationship between the microsturcture and the corrosion property was studied in 0.05M H2SO4＋ 0.25M Na2SO4 aqueous solution, and the results show an extreme improvement of corrosion resistance owing to the appearance of twin boundaries and the obvious reduction in corrosion resistance attributed to the presence of nanocrystaline boundaries.

Effect of cold rolling on the microstructural, magnetic, mechanical, and corrosion properties of AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel

This study has evaluated the effect of different levels of cold rolling（from 0 to 50%）on the microstructural,magnetic,and mechanical properties and the corrosion behavior of 316L austenitic stainless steel in Na Cl（1 mol/L）＋H_2SO_4（0.5 mol/L）solution.Microstructural examinations using optical microscopy revealed the development of a morphological texture from coaxial to elongated grains during the cold-rolling process.Phase analysis carried out on the basis of X-ray diffraction confirmed the formation of the ferromagneticα′-martensite phase under the stresses applied during cold rolling.This finding is in agreement with magnetic measurements using a vibrating sample magnetometer.Mechanical properties determined by tensile and Vickers microhardness tests demonstrated an upward trend in the hardness-to-yield strength ratio with increasing cold-rolling percentage,representing a reduction in the material’s work-hardening ability.Uniform and localized corrosion parameters were estimated via potentiodynamic polarization corrosion tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.In contrast to the uniform corrosion,wherein the corrosion current density increased with increasing cold-working degree because of the high density of microstructural defects,the passive potential range and breakdown potential increased by cold working,showing greater resistance to pit nucleation.Although pits were formed,the cold-rolled material repassivation tendency decreased because of the broader hysteresis anodic loop,as confirmed experimentally by observation of the microscopic features after electrochemical cyclic polarization evaluations.

Gelcasting of 316L stainless steel

A novel near-net process, gelcasting, was successfully used to prepare larger size 316L stainless steel parts with complex shape. In this study, the effects of process parameters on the viscosity of the slurry and the dry green strength were investigated. The results show that gas atomization （GA） powder is more suitable for gelcasting compared with water atomization （WA） powder. The maximum solid loading is 55vo1% for ball-milled slurry with GA powders. And the optimum amounts of monomers （acrylamide （AM）＋methylenebisacrylamide （MBAM）; the mass ratio, 30：1） and initiator in the AM system are 1.8% （based on the weight of metal powder） and 0.8%-1.4% （based on the weight of monomers）, respectively, at which, the maximum green strength obtained is 33.7 MPa. The mechanical properties of the sintered specimen are as follows： ultimate tensile strength, 493 MPa; yield strength, 162 MPa; and HRB, 72.

Passivation Mechanism of 316L Stainless Steel in Oxidizing Acid Solution

The compositions and the chemical valence states of elements of 316L stainless steel passive film formed in the oxidizing acid solution were studied by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopic (XPS) analysis. The electrochemical polarization curve was measured. The passivation process in the oxidizing acid solution was studied by AC impedance technology. The results indicated that the stable compounds layer was formed on the surface of the sample and the adsorption was the main step in the nitrite solution during passivation process. The catalysis passivation mechanism was put forward according to the experimental results. During passivation process, the water molecule was adsorbed on the surface of the sample at first in the oxidizing acid solution. The oxidizer in the solution played a role as catalyst. The oxide and hydroxide, which could be changed each other and finally formed stable passive film, were generated from adsorbing intermediate under the catalytic action. The mathematical models for predicting the steady polarization curve and the AC impedance spectra at certain conditions have been obtained. The passivation mechanism of 316L stainless steel in the oxidizing acid solution can be interpreted by the catalysis passivation mechanism.

Experimental Study on Uniaxial and Multiaxial Strain CyclicCharacteristics and Ratcheting of 316L Stainless Steel

An experimental study was carried out on the strain cyclic characteristics and ratcheting of 316L stainless steel subjected to uniaxial and multiaxial cyclic loading. The strain cyclic characteristics were researched under the strain-controlled uniaxial tension-compression and multiaxial circular paths of loading. The ratcheting tests were conducted for the stress-controlled uniaxial tensioncompression and multiaxial circular, rhombic and linear paths of loading with different mean stresses, stress amplitudes and histories. The experiment results show that 316L stainless steel features the cyclic hardening, and its strain cyclic characteristics depend on the strain amplitude and its history apparently. The ratcheting of 316L stainless steel depends greatly on the values of mean stress, stress amplitude and their histories. In the meantime, the shape of load path and its history also apparently influence the ratcheting.

Laser ultrasonic testing for near-surface defects inspection of 316L stainless steel fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

The laser powder bed fusion(L-PBF)method of additive manufacturing(AM)is increasingly used in various industrial manufacturing fields due to its high material utilization and design freedom of parts.However,the parts produced by L-PBF usually contain such defects as crack and porosity because of the technological characteristics of L-PBF,which affect the quality of the product.Laser ultrasonic testing(LUT)is a potential technology for on-line testing of the L-PBF process.It is a non-contact and non-destructive approach based on signals from abundant waveforms with a wide frequency-band.In this study,a method of LUT for on-line inspection of L-PBF process was proposed,and a system of LUT was established approaching the actual environment of on-line detection to evaluate the method applicability for defects detection of L-PBF parts.The detection results of near-surface defects in L-PBF 316L stainless steel parts show that the crack-type defects with a sub-millimeter level within 0.5 mm depth can be identified,and accordingly,the positions and dimensions information can be acquired.The results were verified by X-ray computed tomography,which indicates that the present method exhibits great potential for on-line inspection of AM processes.

Co Complexes as a Corrosion Inhibitor for 316 L Stainless Steel in H2SO4 Solution

The effect of Co complexes with a Schiff base ligand on the electrochemical corrosion behavior of 316 L SS in 0.1 M H2SO4 at 25℃ has been investigated at various inhibitor concentration using electrochemical techniques (impedance spectroscopy (EIS), polarization curves). Corrosion measurements indicate that Co complex act as moderately inhibitors. Results revealed that increasing the concentration of Co complex increases the corresponding IE% values till 100 ppm. Co complex acts as mixed type inhibitors with predominant effect on the anodic dissolution of iron. Adsorption studies showed that the process follows Langmuir adsorption isotherm.

Characterizing modified surface layer of 316L stainless steel treated by high current pulsed electron beam

High current pulsed electron beam(HCPEB) is now developing as a useful tool for surface modification of materials.When concentrated electron flux transferring its energy into the surface layer of target material within a short pulse time,coupled thermal and stress processes would lead to the formation of metastalbe microstructure with improved properties.In the present work,HCPEB treatment of 316L stainless steel(SS) was carried out and the microstructural changes in modified surface layer were characterized with optical microscopy,X-ray diffractometry and electron backscatter diffractometry(EBSD) techniques.The corrosion resistance of modified surface was measured in a 5wt.% salt solution.The evolution regularity of surface craters and grain refinement effect,as well as the preferred orientation of(111) crystal plane occurring in the HCPEB treatment under different working parameters were discussed along with their influence on corrosion resistance.

CORROSION FATIGUE CRACK INITIATION BEHAVIOR OF 316L STAINLESS STEEL IN HANK’S SOLUTION

This paper investigates the corrosion fatigue (CF) crack initiation behavior of 316L stainless steel in Hank's solution which simulates bodylike fluid. The CF experiments were conducted under the conditions of electrochemically accelerated, free immersion and pre-polarized pitting potential. The results showed that 316L stainless steel was susceptible to pitting corrosion in Hank's solution. Intergranular corrosion occurred obviously at the bottom of pits where the CF cracks initiated by the combined action of alternating stress and corrosive medium for the notch effect of stress concentrated in the grain boundaries.The CF crack propagation is both intergranular and transgranular.

Comparison of microstructure and properties between joints of FSW and TIG 316L austenitic stainless steel

FSW and TIG were conducted on 316L stainless steel.Variation during microstructure and properties in joints obtained by different welding methods was studied.The results show that the effect of severe mechanical stirring and intense plastic deformation creat a fine recrystallized grain in the welding joint during FSW.As for TIG,the temperature of welding joint exceeds the melting point of welded material itself.The entire welding process belongs to the solidification of a small molten pool;and the microstructure of the joint takes on a typical casting structure.When the welding parameters were selected appropriately,the average ultimate tensile strength of FSW joints can reach 493 MPa,which is 83.6%of base metal;the average elongation is 52.1%of base metal.The average ultimate tensile strength of TIG joints is 475 MPa, which is 80.5%of base metal;the average elongation is 40.8%of base metal.The tensile test of FSW joints is superior to the TIG joints.The microhardness of FSW joint compared to base metal and TIG joint having a significant improvement,which arel95.5 HV,159.7 HV and 160.7 HV,respectively;grain refinement strengthening plays an important role in enhancing the microhardness.The electrochemical corrosion tests show that the joint of FSW 316L austenitic stainless steel has a good corrosion resistance.

Improving Fatigue Properties of 316L Stainless Steel Welded Joints by Surface Spinning Strengthening

The surface spinning strengthening(3S)mechanism and fatigue life extension mechanism of 316L stainless steel welded joint were systematically elucidated by microstructural analyses and mechanical tests.Results indicate that surface gradient hardening layer of approximately 1 mm is formed in the base material through grain fragmentation and deformation twin strengthening,as well as in the welding zone composed of deformedδ-phases and nanotwins.The fatigue strength of welded joint after 3S significantly rises by 32%(from 190 to 250 MPa),which is attributed to the effective elimination of surface geometric defects,discrete refinement ofδ-Fe phases and the appropriate improvement in the surface strength,collectively mitigating strain localization and surface fatigue damage within the gradient strengthening layer.The redistributed fineδ-Fe phases benefited by strong stress transfer of 3S reduce the risk of surface weak phase cracking,causing the fatigue fracture to transition from microstructure defects to crystal defects dominated by slip,further suppressing the initiation and early propagation of fatigue cracks.

Influence of Non-smooth Surface on Tribological Properties of Glass Fiber-epoxy Resin Composite Sliding against Stainless Steel under Natural Seawater Lubrication

With the development of bionics, the bionic non-smooth surfaces are introduced to the field of tribology. Although non-smooth surface has been studied widely, the studies of non-smooth surface under the natural seawater lubrication are still very fewer, especially experimental research. The influences of smooth and non-smooth surface on the frictional properties of the glass fiber-epoxy resin composite（GF/EPR） coupled with stainless steel 316 L are investigated under natural seawater lubrication in this paper. The tested non-smooth surfaces include the surfaces with semi-spherical pits, the conical pits, the cone-cylinder combined pits, the cylindrical pits and through holes. The friction and wear tests are performed using a ring-on-disc test rig under 60 N load and 1000 r/min rotational speed. The tests results show that GF/EPR with bionic non-smooth surface has quite lower friction coefficient and better wear resistance than GF/EPR with smooth surface without pits. The average friction coefficient of GF/EPR with semi-spherical pits is 0.088, which shows the largest reduction is approximately 63.18% of GF/EPR with smooth surface. In addition, the wear debris on the worn surfaces of GF/EPR are observed by a confocal scanning laser microscope. It is shown that the primary wear mechanism is the abrasive wear. The research results provide some design parameters for non-smooth surface, and the experiment results can serve as a beneficial supplement to non-smooth surface study.

Mass-producible low-cost flexible electronic fabrics for azo dye wastewater treatment by electrocoagulation

Electrocoagulation is progressively becoming an ecologically friendly water treatment method owing to its lack of secondary pollution,high active ingredient concentration,high treatment effectiveness,simple equipment,and simplicity of automated control implementation.Herein,electrocoagulation is offered as a method for treating wastewater containing azo dyes using a revolutionary flexible electronic fabric that can be mass-producible at a reasonable price.A computer-controlled machine embroiders 316L stainless steel fiber(316L SSF)onto an insulating fabric to manufacture a flexible electronic device of cathode and anode with a monopolar arrangement on the fabric surface.Using methyl orange(MO)solution to simulate azo dye wastewater,the decolorization rate of 500 ml MO reached 99.25% under the conditions of 50 mg·L^(-1)initial mass concentration,120 min electrolysis time,15 mA·g^(-1)current density,1 cm electrode spacing,0.1 mol·L^(-1)NaCl,pH 7.6,200 r·min^(-1)rotational speed of the stirrer,and 22-25℃ room temperature.In addition,it is feasible to embroider flexible electronic fabrics with varied sizes and numbers of electrodes based on the amount of treated sewage to increase the degradation rate,which has significant practical application value.

Microstructure and Size‑Dependent Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured 316L Stainless Steels Produced by Laser Metal Deposition

Metal additive manufacturing(AM),as a disruptive technology in the feld of fabricating metallic parts,has shown its ability to design component with macrostructural complexity.However,some of these functionally complex structures typically contain a wide range of feature sizes,namely,the characteristic length of elements in AM-produced components can vary from millimeter to meter-scale.The requisite for controlling performance covers nearly six orders of magnitude,from the microstructure to macro scale structure.Understanding the mechanical variation with the feature size is of critical importance for topology optimization engineers to make required design decisions.In this work,laser metal deposition(LMD)is adopted to manufacture 316L stainless steel(SS)samples.To evaluate the efect of defects and specimen size on mechanical properties of LMD-produced samples,fve rectangular sample sizes which ranged from non-standard miniature size to ASTM standard sub-sized samples were machined from the block.Tensile test reveals that the mechanical properties including yield strength(YS),ultimate tensile strength(UTS),and elongation to failure(εf)are almost the identical for samples with ASTM standard size.Whilst,relatively lower YS and UTS values,except forεf,are observed for samples with a miniature size compared with that of ASTM standard samples.Theεf values of LMD-produced 316L SS samples show a more complex trend with sample size,and are afected by three key infuencing factors,namely,slimness ratio,cluster of pores,and occupancy location of lack of fusion defects.In general,theεf values exhibit a decreasing trend with the increase of slimness ratio.Microstructure characterization reveals that the LMD-produced 316L samples exhibited a high stress status at low angle grain boundaries,whilst its location changed to high angle grain boundaries after plastic deformation.The grain size refnement and austenite-to-martensite phase transformation occurred during plastic deformation might be responsible for the very high YS and UTS attained in this study.The experimental works carried out in this study is expected to provide a guideline for evaluating the mechanical properties of LMD-produced parts with complex structure,where critical parameter such as a certain slimness ratio has to be considered.

Microstructure Evolution,Tribological and Corrosion Properties of Amorphous Alloy Strengthening Stainless Steel Fabricated by Selective Laser Melting in NaCl Solution

As a type of austenitic stainless steel,316L stainless steel has excellent plasticity,corrosion resistance,and biocompatibility,making it widely used in industries,especially in the marine environments.However,its lower yield strength and wear resistance are the obvious disadvantages that restrict its application in more fields.In this work,an Fe-based amorphous alloy(Fe^(am))was selected as reinforcement to enhance the 316L stainless steel prepared by selective laser melting(SLM),and microstructure evolution,mechanical properties,tribological and corrosion performance of the SLMed samples were investigated in detail.The relative density values of both 316L stainless steel and Fe^(am)-reinforced samples are above 99%,which suggests that Fe^(am)-reinforced samples also have outstanding formability.In the as-etched micrograph,all of the SLMed samples exhibit cellular structure.Fe^(am)-reinforced samples have thicker sub-grain boundaries,and retained amorphous phase can be observed in the samples reinforced with 10 wt%and 15 wt%Fe^(am).As the addition of Fe^(am) increases,the microhardness and compression strength of the Fe^(am)-reinforced samples gradually improve and reach 449.2 HV and 2181.9 MPa,respectively.The wear morphologies show that the 316L stainless steel and Fe^(am)-reinforced samples both experience abrasive wear and corrosion wear in a 3.5 wt%NaCl solution.Meanwhile,as the amount of Fe^(am) added increases,the coefficient of friction and wear rate of SLMed samples gradually decrease.Compared to the unreinforced sample,Fe^(am)-reinforced samples have lower corrosion current density and higher pitting potential according to the potentiodynamic polarization curves and also exhibit superior corrosion resistance in the salt spray environment.This work suggests that the addition of Fe-based amorphous alloy can improve the mechanical properties and wear resistance of 316L stainless steel,as well as its ability to withstand salt spray corrosion.

Impact–sliding fretting tribocorrosion behavior of 316L stainless steel in solution with different halide concentrations

Impact–sliding caused by random vibrations between tubes and supports can affect the operation of heat exchangers.In addition,a corrosive environment can cause damage,accelerating the synergism of corrosion and wear.Therefore,the focus of this work was the impact–sliding fretting tribocorrosion behavior of 316L heat exchanger tubes at different halide concentrations.A device system incorporating the in situ electrochemical measurements of impact–sliding fretting corrosion wear was constructed,and experiments on 316L heat exchanger tubes in sodium chloride(NaCl)solution with different concentrations(0.0,0.1,0.5,1.0,3.5,and 5.0 wt%)were carried out.The synergism between wear and corrosion was also calculated and analyzed.The wear and damage mechanisms were elucidated by correlating the corrosion–wear synergism,morphologies,and material loss rates.The results indicated that the stable wear stage occurred at approximately 9–12 h,after which the corrosion current increased with the expansion of the wear area.As the halide concentration increased,the scale of damage on the wear scars gradually decreased,changing from being dominated by cracks,delaminations,and grooves to being dominated by scratches,microgrooves,and holes.There was an obvious positive synergism between wear and corrosion.The material loss was dominated by pure mechanical wear and wear enhanced by corrosion,but corrosion enhanced by wear contributed more than tangential sliding fretting corrosion.The total mass loss increased gradually in the range of 0.0–0.5 wt%and decreased in the range of 0.5–5.0 wt%.Large-scale damage enhanced by corrosivity and small-scale damage reduced by lubricity dominated the material loss at low and high concentrations,respectively.

Mechanisms of interfacial reactions between 316L stainless steel and MnO-SiO_(2) oxide during isothermal heating

Diffusion couple experiments were performed to study the thermodynamic and kinetic mechanisms of interfacial reactions between the 316L stainless steel and the composite MnO-SiO_(2) oxide during isothermal heating at 1473 K(1200℃)for 1,3,5,and 10 h and at 1173,1273,1373,1473,and 1573 K(900,1000,1100,1200,and 1300℃)for 3 h.Compositional variations in the 316L stainless steel and the composite MnO-SiO_(2) oxide in the vicinity of the steel-oxide interface in each diffusion couple specimen were determined.Before and after isothermal heating,thermodynamic equilibria between the oxide and steel at the interface were estimated in accordance with the calculation of the Gibbs free energy change in the interfacial steel-oxide reactions.The diffusion coefficients of Mn,Cr,and Si in 316L stainless steel under different experimental conditions were quantitatively acquired.The results showed that solid-state interfacial reactions occurred between the Cr in the 316L stainless steel and composite MnO-SiO_(2) oxide during isothermal heating,which resulted in the depletion of Cr and accumulation of Si and Mn in the steel in the vicinity of the steel-oxide interface.The widths of the Crdepleted zone,Mn-accumulated zone and Si-accumulated zone all showed increasing trends with increasing isothermal heating temperature and time.The average values of the diffusion coefficients of Mn,Cr,and Si in the steel at 1473 K(1200℃)were 1.21×10^(^(-14))±2.96×10^(-15),1.69×10^(-14)±2.54×10^(-15),and 1.00×10^(-14)±1.96×10^(-15) m^(2)s^(-1),respectively,and they continued to increase with increasing isothermal heating temperature.

Transformation of nanoscale inclusions in 316L stainless steel processed by laser beam powder bed fusion during isothermal heating

Transformation mechanisms and reaction kinetics for formation of nanoscale inclusions in as-built 316L stainless steel produced by laser beam powder bed fusion(LB-PBF)during subsequent isothermal heating process were investigated and clarified experimentally and theoretically.The resulting changes in morphologies,size distributions,number densities,and chemical compositions of the inclusions were measured and discussed,along with microstructure and texture of the steel.The results showed that with increasing isothermal heating time and temperature,the columnar grains in the as-built LB-PBF 316L stainless steel transformed into equiaxed grains,which grew gradually and exhibited a large number of twins in the FCC structure.During isothermal heating,the reaction of Si in the steel with MnO–Cr_(2)O_(3)in the nanoscale inclusion resulted in a transformation from the homogeneous oxide MnO–SiO_(2)–Cr_(2)O_(3)to an inclusion with an obvious core–shell structure,and the core part was eventually rich in Si and the shell part was predominantly rich in Mn and Si,depending on the heating temperature and time.An Ostwald ripening model used for predicting the growth of nanoscale inclusions during isothermal heating verified that the observed effects of isothermal heating time and temperature were predicted for Si diffusion control.

Experimental Study on Influence of Dimples on Lubrication Performance of Glass Fiber-epoxy Resin Composite under Natural Seawater Lubrication

Bionic non-smooth surface is widely applied in metal and ceramics materials. In order to introduce this technology to high pressure seawater pump, the influence of bionic non-smooth surface on the engineering plastics used in pump should be investigated. The comparative tests are carried out with a ring-on-disc configuration under 800, 1000, 1200 and 1400 r/min in order to research the influence of the bionic non-smooth surface on glass fiber-epoxy resin composite（GF/EPR） under natural seawater lubrication. The disc surfaces are textured with five kinds of pits, which are semi-spherical, conical, cone-cylinder combined, cylindrical pits and through holes, respectively. A smooth surface is tested as reference. The results show that the lubrication performance of dimpled GF/EPR sample is much better than that of the smooth sample under all rotational speeds. The semi-spherical pits surface has more obvious friction reduction than the others, which shows that the least reduction is approximately 43.29% of smooth surface under 1200 r/rain. However, the wear level is only marginally influenced by dimples. The surface morphology investigations disclose severe modifications caused by abrasive wear primarily. The results are helpful to vary friction properties of GF/EPR by non-smooth surface, or provide references to the design of non-smooth surfaces under certain condition.