Effect of cellular dislocation structure on the strength of additively manufactured 316L stainless steel

M. Wang; M. H. Fan; S. Cruchley; Y. L. Chiu

Materials Science Forum 1016 MSF (2021) 1576-1584

Additively manufactured (AM) 316L stainless steel (SS) often contains cellular dislocation structure which is a distinct microstructural feature compared with those fabricated traditionally, like casting and forging. The role of this unique cellular dislocation structure on the mechanical properties of the AM 316L SS needs to be determined to guide its further performance improvement. In this study, the effect of cellular dislocation structure on the strength of AM 316L SS was investigated via micro-mechanical compression test. Single crystalline micro-pillars were firstly prepared from both the as-built and annealed AM 316L SS bulk specimens, with and without cellular dislocation structure relatively. The results show a significant increase of the yield strength of the micro-pillars with the cellular dislocation structure. The micro-pillars containing cellular dislocation structure with different sizes and morphologies have been studied to evaluate the effect of cellular dislocation structure on the strength of AM 316L SS.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.1016.1576