Structure and thermal stability of austenitic steel Fe-17%Cr-12%Ni-2%Mo-0.02%C synthesized by selective laser melting

The structural features of the Fe-17%Cr-12%NI-2%Mo-0.02%C alloy manufactured by selective laser melting (SLM) and the thermal stability of the formed structures are investigated. It is shown that crystallization cells form at SLM, the boundaries of which are volume plexes of dislocations, fixed by segregation of impurity atoms. The microhardness of such a structure is one and a half times higher than that of an alloy of the same composition in a standard hardened state. During annealing up to 800 °C, this cellular structure maintains stability while maintaining hardness indices. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.