Three-Body Abrasion-Corrosion Behavior of As-Printed and Solution-Annealed Additively Manufactured 316L Stainless Steel

Abstract

Selective laser melting (SLM) or powder bed fusion is a type of additive manufacturing (AM) technology with applications in, e.g., the orthopaedics, energy, and aerospace industries. Several studies investigated the localised corrosion behaviour of SLM-fabricated Type 316L (UNS S31603) stainless steel. Little is known, however, about the effects of tribocorrosive conditions on the response of stainless steels fabricated by SLM. In this study, the effects of third-body abrasive particles on the tribo-electrochemical behaviour of SLM 316L stainless steel produced by SLM was investigated and compared with wrought counterparts (including UNS S31703, 317W) in 0.6 M NaCl. It was found that the presence of Mo played a more decisive role in the tribocorrosion behaviour than the manufacturing method, i.e., 317W revealed the best tribocorrosion behaviour vis-a-vis wrought 316L and the SLM-fabricated specimens. The improved tribocorrosion behaviour contrasted with the much higher breakdown potential of the SLM-fabricated samples. Nano-scale secondary ion mass spectroscopy was used to investigate the effects of Mo on passivity. The implications of passivity and tribocorrosion behaviour are discussed.