CORROSION EVALUATION OF LPBF-MANUFACTURED DUPLEX STAINLESS STEEL

Abstract

In this study, the effect of as built and heat-treated additively manufactured 2507 super duplex stainless steel (SDSS) on electrochemical corrosion performance was examined. The corrosion was studied by Tafel polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods in a 3.5% NaCl solution. For this purpose, the as-built and heat-treated printed samples (solution annealed and stress-relieved) were examined by LOM/SEM and X-ray diffraction to evaluate the phase changes of steel at different processing stages. The correlation between corrosion resistance, structure, and heat treatment was assessed. As a result of the very fast cooling rate of the LPBF process, SDSS reveals ferrite as the major phase in the printed samples. To enhance the corrosion resistance of LPBF-produced duplex stainless steel, it's crucial to balance its two-phase structure and minimize residual stresses. The ferrite grains are elongated in the build direction, with some austenite precipitation along the grain boundaries or as Widmanstatten laths.  The stress-relieved and as-printed SDSS exhibits reduced corrosion characteristics by around 20% compared to the solution-annealed SDSS, according to anodic polarization curves. Based on EIS results, the solution-annealed SDSS revealed an almost double increase in corrosion resistance (based on charge transfer resistance values) compared to the as-printed and stress-relieved conditions.