Eeffect of B Element on Microstructure and Properties Of   316 L Stainless Steel Manufactured by Selective Laser Melting

Abstract

316L austenitic stainless steel has a wide range of applications in industry. One of its main disadvantages is its low strength. In this paper, the reinforcement was performed by adding 0.5wt% and 1wt% micron-size B powder. The original powder was mixed and prepared using a planetary ball mill, then the sample was prepared by selective laser melting (SLM). The SLM treated stainless steel formed fine cell dendrites and columnar crystals during the rapid solidification process. The addition of the B element to the steel matrix significantly reduced the cellular and grain size after solidification. Tensile test shows that the ultimate tensile strength (1071 MPa and 1174 MPa) of the alloy can be significantly increased by adding 0.5wt% and 1wt% B elements.

Keywords: Laser additive manufacturing；B/316 L SS composites； Mechanical properties；Grain refinement；