Evaluation of the Suitability of High-Temperature Post-Processing Annealing for Property Enhancement in LPBF 316L Steel: A Comprehensive Mechanical and Corrosion Assessment
This study aims to comprehensively assess the suitability of post-processing annealing (at 900–1200 °C) for enhancing the key properties of 316L steel fabricated via laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). It adopts a holistic approach to investigate the annealing-driven evolution of microstructure–property...
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2025-06-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/15/6/684 |
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| author | Bohdan Efremenko Yuliia Chabak Ivan Petryshynets Tianliang Zhao Vasily Efremenko Kaiming Wu Tao Xia Miroslav Džupon Sundas Arshad |
| author_facet | Bohdan Efremenko Yuliia Chabak Ivan Petryshynets Tianliang Zhao Vasily Efremenko Kaiming Wu Tao Xia Miroslav Džupon Sundas Arshad |
| author_sort | Bohdan Efremenko |
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| description | This study aims to comprehensively assess the suitability of post-processing annealing (at 900–1200 °C) for enhancing the key properties of 316L steel fabricated via laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). It adopts a holistic approach to investigate the annealing-driven evolution of microstructure–property relationships, focusing on tensile properties, nanoindentation hardness and modulus, impact toughness at ambient and cryogenic temperatures (−196 °C), and the corrosion resistance of LPBF 316L. Annealing at 900–1050 °C reduced tensile strength and hardness, followed by a moderate increase at 1200 °C. Conversely, ductility and impact toughness peaked at 900 °C but declined with the increasing annealing temperature. Regardless of the annealing temperature and testing conditions, LPBF 316L steel fractured through a mixed transgranular/intergranular mechanism involving dimple formation. The corrosion resistance of annealed steel was significantly lower than that in the as-built state, with the least detrimental effect being observed at 1050 °C. These changes resulted from the complex interplay of annealing-induced structural transformations, including elimination of the cellular structure and Cr/Mo segregations, reduced dislocation density, the formation of recrystallized grains, and the precipitation of nano-sized (MnCrSiAl)O<sub>3</sub> inclusions. At 1200 °C, an abundant oxide formation strengthened the steel; however, particle coarsening, combined with the transition of (MnCrSiAl)O<sub>3</sub> into Mo-rich oxide, further degraded the passive film, leading to a sharp decrease in corrosion resistance. Overall, post-processing annealing at 900–1200 °C did not comprehensively improve the combination of LPBF 316L steel properties, suggesting that the as-built microstructure offers a favorable balance of properties. High-temperature annealing can enhance a particular property while potentially compromising other performance characteristics. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2075-4701 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
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| series | Metals |
| spelling | doaj-art-0fa675c9eb0f400aa32e9513c888ebc32025-08-20T02:21:10ZengMDPI AGMetals2075-47012025-06-0115668410.3390/met15060684Evaluation of the Suitability of High-Temperature Post-Processing Annealing for Property Enhancement in LPBF 316L Steel: A Comprehensive Mechanical and Corrosion AssessmentBohdan Efremenko0Yuliia Chabak1Ivan Petryshynets2Tianliang Zhao3Vasily Efremenko4Kaiming Wu5Tao Xia6Miroslav Džupon7Sundas Arshad8Physics Department, Pryazovskyi State Technical University, 49044 Dnipro, UkrainePhysics Department, Pryazovskyi State Technical University, 49044 Dnipro, UkraineInstitute of Materials Research, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 04001 Kosice, SlovakiaInternational Research Institute for Steel Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Steels, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081, ChinaPhysics Department, Pryazovskyi State Technical University, 49044 Dnipro, UkraineInternational Research Institute for Steel Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Steels, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081, ChinaInternational Research Institute for Steel Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Steels, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081, ChinaInstitute of Materials Research, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 04001 Kosice, SlovakiaInternational Research Institute for Steel Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Steels, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081, ChinaThis study aims to comprehensively assess the suitability of post-processing annealing (at 900–1200 °C) for enhancing the key properties of 316L steel fabricated via laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). It adopts a holistic approach to investigate the annealing-driven evolution of microstructure–property relationships, focusing on tensile properties, nanoindentation hardness and modulus, impact toughness at ambient and cryogenic temperatures (−196 °C), and the corrosion resistance of LPBF 316L. Annealing at 900–1050 °C reduced tensile strength and hardness, followed by a moderate increase at 1200 °C. Conversely, ductility and impact toughness peaked at 900 °C but declined with the increasing annealing temperature. Regardless of the annealing temperature and testing conditions, LPBF 316L steel fractured through a mixed transgranular/intergranular mechanism involving dimple formation. The corrosion resistance of annealed steel was significantly lower than that in the as-built state, with the least detrimental effect being observed at 1050 °C. These changes resulted from the complex interplay of annealing-induced structural transformations, including elimination of the cellular structure and Cr/Mo segregations, reduced dislocation density, the formation of recrystallized grains, and the precipitation of nano-sized (MnCrSiAl)O<sub>3</sub> inclusions. At 1200 °C, an abundant oxide formation strengthened the steel; however, particle coarsening, combined with the transition of (MnCrSiAl)O<sub>3</sub> into Mo-rich oxide, further degraded the passive film, leading to a sharp decrease in corrosion resistance. Overall, post-processing annealing at 900–1200 °C did not comprehensively improve the combination of LPBF 316L steel properties, suggesting that the as-built microstructure offers a favorable balance of properties. High-temperature annealing can enhance a particular property while potentially compromising other performance characteristics.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/15/6/684316L steelLPBFannealingaustenitetensile behaviorcorrosion resistance |
| spellingShingle | Bohdan Efremenko Yuliia Chabak Ivan Petryshynets Tianliang Zhao Vasily Efremenko Kaiming Wu Tao Xia Miroslav Džupon Sundas Arshad Evaluation of the Suitability of High-Temperature Post-Processing Annealing for Property Enhancement in LPBF 316L Steel: A Comprehensive Mechanical and Corrosion Assessment Metals 316L steel LPBF annealing austenite tensile behavior corrosion resistance |
| title | Evaluation of the Suitability of High-Temperature Post-Processing Annealing for Property Enhancement in LPBF 316L Steel: A Comprehensive Mechanical and Corrosion Assessment |
| title_full | Evaluation of the Suitability of High-Temperature Post-Processing Annealing for Property Enhancement in LPBF 316L Steel: A Comprehensive Mechanical and Corrosion Assessment |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of the Suitability of High-Temperature Post-Processing Annealing for Property Enhancement in LPBF 316L Steel: A Comprehensive Mechanical and Corrosion Assessment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of the Suitability of High-Temperature Post-Processing Annealing for Property Enhancement in LPBF 316L Steel: A Comprehensive Mechanical and Corrosion Assessment |
| title_short | Evaluation of the Suitability of High-Temperature Post-Processing Annealing for Property Enhancement in LPBF 316L Steel: A Comprehensive Mechanical and Corrosion Assessment |
| title_sort | evaluation of the suitability of high temperature post processing annealing for property enhancement in lpbf 316l steel a comprehensive mechanical and corrosion assessment |
| topic | 316L steel LPBF annealing austenite tensile behavior corrosion resistance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/15/6/684 |
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