Plastic anisotropy of powder bed fusion maraging steel: An experimental replication study

The plastic anisotropy of additively manufactured metals can be estimated with the use of the ratio of width to thickness plastic strain, commonly referred to as R-value. Published research has indicated the suitability of the experimentally obtained R-value for the case of maraging steel produced via powder bed fusion (PBF) at different build orientations and subsequently heat treated. The present study replicates this experimental methodology for the same alloy as per published literature, which has been produced with a different PBF equipment (having a different laser power and using a different layer thickness). This replication experimental study has successfully assessed the predictability of the R-value methodology for the PBF maraging steel. In particular, the presence of a comparable level of plastic anisotropy has been discovered in the examined material. Moreover, a previously reported decreasing R-value trend with an increase of the build orientation inclination has also been confirmed.