Comparing Compression Deformation and Rate Sensitivity of Additively Manufactured and Extruded-Annealed 316L Alloys

The deformation behavior of a selective-laser-melt-processed 316-L alloy (SLM-316L) under compression was determined together with a commercial annealed-extruded 316L alloy bar (C-316L) for comparison. Strain rate jump tests and hardness tests on the untested and compression tested samples were also performed. Extensive microscopic observations on the deformed and undeformed samples showed a twinning-dominated deformation in SLM-316L, similar to twinning-induced-plasticity steels, while a martensitic transformation-dominated deformation in C-316L alloy, similar to transformation-induced-plasticity steels. Within the studied quasi-static strain rate regime, the measured higher strain rate sensitivity of SLM-316L was ascribed to the lower distances between the nano-twins, in the level of 100 nm, than the distances between martensite plates, in the level of 1000 nm. A higher hardness increase in the martensite transformation region as compared with the twinned region proved the higher work hardening of C-316L. The hardness tests in the micron and sub-micron levels further confirmed the previously determined relatively low resistances of the dislocation cell walls (sub-grain) to the dislocation motion in SLM-316L alloy.