Effect of Post-Manufacturing Heat Treatment on Wear Performance of Laser Powder Bed Fusion 316L Stainless Steel Under Various Normal Loads

The friction and wear behavior of laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) 316L stainless steels (SSs) with different post-manufacturing heat treatments (PMHTs) under various normal loads were investigated and compared with conventional wrought 316L SS. The dominant wear mechanism was adhesive wear for L-PBF 316L SS with as-built and stress relief PMHT conditions, but abrasive wear for wrought 316L SS. L-PBF 316L SS with solution annealing PMHT exhibited both adhesive and abrasive wear mechanisms. As built L-PBF 316L SS presented superior or close wear resistance to wrought 316L SS under low and medium normal loads, but the opposite under a high normal load. PMHTs gradually lowered compressive stress levels and decreased dislocation density in L-PBF 316L SS, inducing the degraded wear resistance of L-PBF 316L SS, which was more significant at a high normal load. The differentiated wear performance, i.e., better or worse wear resistances, among wrought and L-PBF 316L SSs not only depends on the applied normal loads during the wear test but is also controlled by the intrinsic microstructural features of materials and exhibited wear mechanisms.