Corrosion Testing of a Heat Treated 316 L Functional Part Produced by Selective Laser Melting

Abstract

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) shows a big potential among metal additive manufacturing (AM) technologies. However, the large thermal gradients and the local melting and solidification processes of SLM result in the presence of a significant amount of residual stresses in the as built parts. These internal stresses will not only affect mechanical properties, but also increase the risk of Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC). A twister used in an air extraction pump of a condenser to create a swirl in the water, was chosen as a candidate component to be produced by SLM in 316 L stainless steel. Since the main expected damage mechanism of this component in service is corrosion, corrosion tests were carried out on an as-built twister as well as on heat treated components. It was shown that a low temperature heat treatment at 450˚C had only a limited effect on the residual stress reduction and concomitant corrosion properties, while the internal stresses were significantly reduced when a high temperature heat treatment at 950˚C was applied. Furthermore, a specific stress corrosion sensitivity test proved to be a useful tool to evaluate the internal stress distribution in a specific component.