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Additive Manufacturing of 17-4 PH Stainless Steel: Post Processing Heat Treatment to Achieve Uniform Reproducible
Sudha C1, Eric A Lass1, Carelyn E Campbell1
1Materials Science and Engineering Division, Materials Measurement Laboratory National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA.
JOM (Warrendale, Pa. : 1989)
|November 15, 2024
Summary
Additive manufacturing of 17-4 PH stainless steel results in a dendritic structure. A homogenization heat treatment transforms this into a nearly fully martensitic microstructure, improving properties.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Metallurgy
- Additive Manufacturing
Background:
- 17-4 precipitation hardenable (PH) stainless steel offers high strength and corrosion resistance.
- Wrought 17-4 PH steel has a martensitic structure strengthened by copper precipitates.
- Additive manufacturing (AM) of 17-4 PH steel yields a dendritic structure with significant retained austenite.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of post-build thermal processing on AM 17-4 PH steel.
- To compare the microstructure of AM 17-4 PH steel with wrought 17-4 PH steel.
- To achieve a uniform, fully martensitic microstructure in AM 17-4 PH steel.
Main Methods:
- Studying the microstructure of as-built AM 17-4 PH steel.
- Applying a recommended stress relief heat treatment.
- Implementing a homogenization heat treatment regimen (AMS 5355 for CB7Cu-1).
Main Results:
- The standard stress relief heat treatment had minimal impact on the as-built dendritic microstructure.
- The homogenization heat treatment effectively destroyed the dendritic structure.
- The homogenization treatment resulted in a microstructure of approximately 90% martensite and 10% retained austenite.
Conclusions:
- Standard post-processing methods are insufficient for optimizing the microstructure of AM 17-4 PH steel.
- A specific homogenization heat treatment can transform the dendritic structure of AM 17-4 PH steel into a desirable martensitic microstructure.
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