Unconventional Wear Characteristics Due to Perfect Plasticity in Laser Powder Bed Fusion Processed 316L Stainless Steel

Abstract

Abstract Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is a metal additive manufacturing technology that is capable of printing metals and alloys with high quality. This study investigates wear characteristics of LPBF processed 316L stainless steel and its correlation to the hardness and microstructure of the materials. The wear properties of LPBF specimen and hot rolled 316L stainless steel were compared. From the analysis of wear characteristics of the samples, it was observed that the results were not consistent with the prediction of Archard’s empirical equation. The LBPF processed samples with higher hardness exhibited lower wear resistance compared to the conventionally processed (hot rolled) samples. This study aimed at addressing such phenomenon by understanding the plasticity in those samples. Unconventional plastic deformation in LPBF 316L samples with negligible work-hardening was observed which was believed to be the main reason for their lower wear resistance compared to conventionally processed samples.