Improvement of surface properties of 2316 stainless steel with ultrasonic electric surface modification

An ultrasonic electric surface modification treatment was employed to improve the surface properties of 2316 stainless steel. The surface properties of the specimens after conventional cutting, ultrasonic surface modification treatment and ultrasonic electric surface modification treatment were characterised respectively. A grain refinement layer was formed on the specimen's surface after ultrasonic electric surface modification treatment. The average grain size on the top surface was refined into the submicrometre or nanometre scale. This is caused mainly by two aspects: one is the accumulation of initial tiny particles during deformation, and the other is that the ferrite is smashed into pieces due to microfatigue damage. Moreover, it was found out that the specimen after ultrasonic electric surface modification treatment at four times had shown the optimal surface properties.