In this study, additive manufacturing of a functionally graded material (FGM) as an alternative to joining dissimilar metals is investigated using directed energy deposition (DED). FGM consists of five different layers, which are mixtures of austenitic stainless steel (type 316 L) and low-alloy steel (LAS, ferritic steel) at ratios of 100:0 (A layer), 75:25 (B layer), 50:50 (C layer), 25:75 (D layer), and 0:100 (E layer), respectively, in each deposition layer. The FGM samples are successfully fabricated without cracks or delamination using the DED method, and specimens are characterized using optical and scanning electron microscopy to monitor their microstructures. In layers C and D of the sample, the tensile strength is determined to be very high owing to the formation of ferrite and martensite structures. However, the elongation is high in layers A and B, which contain a large fraction of austenite.

In the powder bed fusion (PBF) process, a 3D shape is formed by the continuous stacking of very fine powder layers using computer-aided design (CAD) modeling data, following which laser irradiation can be used to fuse the layers forming the desired product. In this method, the main process parameters for manufacturing the desired 3D products are laser power, laser speed, powder form, powder size, laminated thickness, and laser diameter. Stainless steel (STS) 316L exhibits excellent strength at high temperatures, and is also corrosion resistant. Due to this, it is widely used in various additive manufacturing processes, and in the production of corrosion-resistant components with complicated shapes. In this study, rectangular specimens have been manufactured using STS 316L powder via the PBF process. Further, the effect of heat treatment at 800 °C on the microstructure and hardness has been investigated.

This study investigates the effect of process stopping and restarting on the microstructure and local nanoindentation properties of 316L stainless steel manufactured via selective laser melting (SLM). We find that stopping the SLM process midway, exposing the substrate to air having an oxygen concentration of 22% or more for 12 h, and subsequently restarting the process, makes little difference to the density of the restarted area (~ 99.8%) as compared to the previously melted area of the substrate below. While the microstructure and pore distribution near the stop/restart area changes, this modified process does not induce the development of unusual features, such as an inhomogeneous microstructure or irregular pore distribution in the substrate. An analysis of the stiffness and hardness values of the nano-indented steel also reveals very little change at the joint of the stop/restart area. Further, we discuss the possible and effective follow-up actions of stopping and subsequently restarting the SLM process.

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• Additive Manufacturing of SS316L/IN718 Bimetallic Structure via Laser Powder Bed Fusion
  Asif Mahmud, Nicolas Ayers, Thinh Huynh, Yongho Sohn
  Materials.2023; 16(19): 6527.     CrossRef

Stainless steel, a type of steel used for high-temperature parts, may cause damage when exposed to high temperatures, requiring additional coatings. In particular, the Cr₂O₃ product layer is unstable at 1000°C and higher temperatures; therefore, it is necessary to improve the oxidation resistance. In this study, an aluminide (Fe₂Al₅ and FeAl₃) coating layer was formed on the surface of STS 630 specimens through Al diffusion coatings from 500°C to 700°C for up to 25 h. Because the coating layers of Fe₂Al₅ and FeAl₃ could not withstand temperatures above 1200°C, an Al₂O₃ coating layer is deposited on the surface through static oxidation treatment at 500°C for 10 h. To confirm the ablation resistance of the resulting coating layer, dynamic flame exposure tests were conducted at 1350°C for 5–15 min. Excellent oxidation resistance is observed in the coated base material beneath the aluminide layer. The conditions of the flame tests and coating are discussed in terms of microstructural variations.

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• Thermal Stability and Degradation Properties of Aluminide Coated and Uncoated Ti-6Al-4V Alloys Exposed to High Temperature Flame
  C. Hwang, J. Park, J. Oh, D. Han, S. Lee, K. Shin, J. Choi, K. P. Shinde, J. S. Park
  Metals and Materials International.2023; 29(7): 1855.     CrossRef

In this study, the high-temperature oxidation properties of austenitic 316L stainless steel manufactured by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is investigated and compared with conventional 316L manufactured by hot rolling (HR). The initial microstructure of LPBF-SS316L exhibits a molten pool ~100 μm in size and grains grown along the building direction. Isotropic grains (~35 μm) are detected in the HR-SS316L. In high-temperature oxidation tests performed at 700°C and 900°C, LPBF-SS316L demonstrates slightly superior high-temperature oxidation resistance compared to HR-SS316L. After the initial oxidation at 700°C, shown as an increase in weight, almost no further oxidation is observed for both materials. At 900°C, the oxidation weight displays a parabolic trend and both materials exhibit similar behavior. However, at 1100°C, LPBF-SS316L oxidizes in a parabolic manner, but HR-SS316L shows a breakaway oxidation behavior. The oxide layers of LPBF-SS316L and HR-SS316L are mainly composed of Cr₂O₃, Febased oxides, and spinel phases. In LPBF-SS316L, a uniform Cr depletion region is observed, whereas a Cr depletion region appears at the grain boundary in HR-SS316L. It is evident from the results that the microstructure and the hightemperature oxidation characteristics and behavior are related.

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• Study of structural stability at high temperature of pseudo-single tube with double layer as an alternative method for accident-tolerant fuel cladding
  Jong Woo Kim, Hyeong Woo Min, Jaehwan Ko, Yonghee Kim, Young Soo Yoon
  Journal of Nuclear Materials.2022; 566: 153800.     CrossRef

Selective laser melting (SLM), a type of additive manufacturing (AM) technology, leads a global manufacturing trend by enabling the design of geometrically complex products with topology optimization for optimized performance. Using this method, three-dimensional (3D) computer-aided design (CAD) data components can be built up directly in a layer-by-layer fashion using a high-energy laser beam for the selective melting and rapid solidification of thin layers of metallic powders. Although there are considerable expectations that this novel process will overcome many traditional manufacturing process limits, some issues still exist in applying the SLM process to diverse metallic materials, particularly regarding the formation of porosity. This is a major processing-induced phenomenon, and frequently observed in almost all SLM-processed metallic components. In this study, we investigate the mechanical anisotropy of SLM-produced 316L stainless steel based on microstructural factors and highly-oriented porosity. Tensile tests are performed to investigate the microstructure and porosity effects on mechanical anisotropy in terms of both strength and ductility.

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• Selective laser melting additive manufactured H13 tool steel for aluminum extrusion die component construction
  Evangelos Giarmas, Vasileios Tsakalos, Emmanuel Tzimtzimis, Nikolaos Kladovasilakis, Ioannis Kostavelis, Dimitrios Tzovaras, Dimitrios Tzetzis
  The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology.2024; 133(9-10): 4385.     CrossRef
• Nanoindentation Creep Behavior of Additively Manufactured H13 Steel by Utilizing Selective Laser Melting Technology
  Evangelos Giarmas, Emmanouil K. Tzimtzimis, Nikolaos Kladovasilakis, Dimitrios Tzovaras, Dimitrios Tzetzis
  Materials.2024; 17(15): 3756.     CrossRef
• A Parametric Study on the L-PBF Process of an AlSi10Mg Alloy for High-Speed Productivity of Automotive Prototype Parts
  Yeonha Chang, Hyomoon Joo, Wanghyun Yong, Yeongcheol Jo, Seongjin Kim, Hanjae Kim, Yeon Woo Kim, Kyung Tae Kim, Jeong Min Park
  Journal of Powder Materials.2024; 31(5): 390.     CrossRef
• Development of multi-defect diagnosis algorithm for the directed energy deposition (DED) process with in situ melt-pool monitoring
  Hyewon Shin, Jimin Lee, Seung-Kyum Choi, Sang Won Lee
  The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology.2023; 125(1-2): 357.     CrossRef
• Corrosion Resistance of Laser Powder Bed Fused AISI 316L Stainless Steel and Effect of Direct Annealing
  Kichang Bae, Dongmin Shin, Jonghun Lee, Seohan Kim, Wookjin Lee, Ilguk Jo, Junghoon Lee
  Materials.2022; 15(18): 6336.     CrossRef
• Experimental investigation on the effect of process parameters in additive/subtractive hybrid manufacturing 316L stainless steel
  Chengming Tang, Jibin Zhao, Zhiguo Wang, Yuhui Zhao, Tianran Wang
  The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology.2022; 121(3-4): 2461.     CrossRef
• Interface characteristics and mechanical behavior of additively manufactured multi-material of stainless steel and Inconel
  Man Jae Sagong, Eun Seong Kim, Jeong Min Park, Gangaraju Manogna Karthik, Byeong-Joo Lee, Jung-Wook Cho, Chong Soo Lee, Takayoshi Nakano, Hyoung Seop Kim
  Materials Science and Engineering: A.2022; 847: 143318.     CrossRef
• Effect of heat treatment on microstructural heterogeneity and mechanical properties of 1%C-CoCrFeMnNi alloy fabricated by selective laser melting
  Jeong Min Park, Eun Seong Kim, Hyeonseok Kwon, Praveen Sathiyamoorthi, Kyung Tae Kim, Ji-Hun Yu, Hyoung Seop Kim
  Additive Manufacturing.2021; 47: 102283.     CrossRef
• Manufacturing Aluminum/Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Composites via Laser Powder Bed Fusion
  Eo Ryeong Lee, Se Eun Shin, Naoki Takata, Makoto Kobashi, Masaki Kato
  Materials.2020; 13(18): 3927.     CrossRef
• Effects of microstructure and internal defects on mechanical anisotropy and asymmetry of selective laser-melted 316L austenitic stainless steel
  Jin Myoung Jeon, Jeong Min Park, Ji-Hun Yu, Jung Gi Kim, Yujin Seong, Sun Hong Park, Hyoung Seop Kim
  Materials Science and Engineering: A.2019; 763: 138152.     CrossRef
• Microstructural effects on the tensile and fracture behavior of selective laser melted H13 tool steel under varying conditions
  Jungsub Lee, Jungho Choe, Junhyeok Park, Ji-Hun Yu, Sangshik Kim, Im Doo Jung, Hyokyung Sung
  Materials Characterization.2019; 155: 109817.     CrossRef

Harmonic structure materials are materials with a core–shell structure having a shell with a small grain size and a core with a relatively large grain size. They are in the spotlight because their mechanical properties reportedly feature strength similar to that of a sintered powder with a fine grain size and elongation similar to that of a sintered powder with a coarse grain size at the same time. In this study, the tensile properties, microstructure, and stretchflangeability of harmonic structure SUS304L made using powder metallurgy are investigated to check its suitability for automotive applications. The harmonic powders are made by mechanical milling and sintered using a spark plasma sintering method at 1173 K and a pressure of 50 MPa in a cylindrical die. The sintered powders of SUS304L having harmonic structure (harmonic SUS304L) exhibit excellent tensile properties compared with sintered powders of SUS304L having homogeneous microstructure. In addition, the harmonic SUS304L has excellent stretch-flangeability compared with commercial advanced high-strength steels (AHSSs) at a similar strength grade. Thus, the harmonic SUS304L is more suitable for automotive applications than conventional AHSSs because it exhibits both excellent tensile properties and stretch-flangeability.

In order to improve the high-temperature oxidation stability, sintered 434L stainless steel is studied, focusing on the effect of the addition of metallic oxides to form stable oxide films on the inner particle surface. The green compacts of Fecralloy powder or amorphous silica are added on STS434L and oxidized at 950°C up to 210 h. The weight change ratio of 434L with amorphous silica is higher than that of 434L mixed with Fecralloy, and the weight increase follows a parabolic law, which implies that the oxide film grows according to oxide diffusion through the densely formed oxide film. In the case of 434L mixed with Fecralloy, the elements in the matrix diffuse through the grain boundaries and form Al₂O₃ and Fe-Cr oxides. Stable high temperature corrosion resistance and electrical resistivity are obtained for STS434L mixed with Fecralloy.

As wrought stainless steel, sintered stainless steel (STS) has excellent high-temperature anti-corrosion even at high temperature of 800ºC and exhibit corrosion resistance in air. The oxidation behavior and oxidation mechanism of the sintered 316L stainless was reported at the high temperature in our previous study. In this study, the effects of additives on high-temperature corrosion resistances were investigated above 800ºC at the various oxides (SiO₂, Al₂O₃, MgO and Y₂O₃) added STS respectively as an oxidation inhibitor. The morphology of the oxide layers were observed by SEM and the oxides phase and composition were confirmed by XRD and EDX. As a result, the weight of STS 316L sintered body increased sharply at 1000oC and the relative density of specimen decreased as metallic oxide addition increased. Compared with STS 316L sintered parts, weight change ratio corresponding to different oxidation time at 900oC and 1000oC, decreased gradually with the addition of metallic oxide. The best corrosion resistance properties of STS could be improved in case of using Y₂O₃. The oxidation rate was diminished dramatically by suppression the peeling on oxide layers at Y₂O₃ added sintered stainless steel.

As well-known wrought stainless steel, sintered stainless steel (STS) has excellent high-temperature anticorrosion even at high temperature of 800°C, and exhibits good corrosion resistance in air. However, when temperature increases above 900°C, the corrosion resistance of STS begins to deteriorate and dramatically decreases. In this study, the effects of phase and composition of STS on high-temperature corrosion resistances are investigated for STS 316L, STS 304 and STS 434L above 800°C. The morphology of the oxide layers are observed. The oxides phase and composition are identified using X-ray diffractometer and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The results demonstrate that the best corrosion resistance of STS could be improved to that of 434L. The poor corrosion resistance of the austenitic stainless steels is due to the fact that NiFe₂O₄ oxides forming poor adhesion between the matrix and oxide film increase the oxidation susceptibility of the material at high temperature.

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• The effect of different turbulent flow on failure behavior in secondary loop of the pressurized water reactor
  Y. Hu, L. Zhao, Y.H. Lu, T. Shoji
  Nuclear Engineering and Design.2020; 368: 110812.     CrossRef

The 304 stainless steel powders were prepared by high energy ball milling and subsequently sintered by spark plasma sintering, and the microstructural characteristics and micro-hardness were investigated. The initial size of the irregular shaped 304 stainless steel powders was approximately 42 μm. After high energy ball milling at 800 rpm for 5h, the powders became spherical with a size of approximately 2 μm, and without formation of reaction compounds. From TEM analysis, it was confirmed that the as-milled powders consisted of the aggregates of the nano-sized particles. As the sintering temperature increased from 1073K to 1573K, the relative density and micro-hardness of sintered sample increased. The sample sintered at 1573K showed the highest relative density of approximately 95% and a micro-hardness of 550 Hv.

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• Investigating molybdenum’s sulphur scavenging ability for MoS2 formation in preventing pitting corrosion of stainless steels
  Kai Xiang Kuah, Daniel J. Blackwood
  npj Materials Degradation.2023;[Epub]     CrossRef