Mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of selective laser melted 316L stainless steel after different heat treatment processes

Irregular grains, high interfacial stresses and anisotropic properties widely exist in 3D-printed metallic materials, and this paper investigated the effects of heat treatment on the microstructural, mechanical and corrosion properties of 316 L stainless steel fabricated by selective laser melting. Sub-grains and low-angle boundaries exist in the as-received selective laser melted (SLMed) 316 L stainless steel. After heat treatment at 1050 °C, the sub-grains and low-angle boundaries changed slightly, and the stress state and strength decreased to some extent due to the decrease of dislocation density. After heat treatment at 1200 °C, the grains became uniform, and the dislocation cells vanished, which led to a sharp decline in the hardness and strength. However, the ductility was improved after recrystallization heat treatment. The passive film thickness and corrosion potential of the SLMed 316 L stainless steel decreased after heat treatment, and the pitting potential also decreased due to the accelerated transition from metastable to steady-state pitting; this accelerated transition was caused by the presence of weak passive films at the enlarged pores after heat treatment, especially for an adequate solid solution treatment.