Corrosion Behavior of 304L Stainless Steel Produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion

Abstract Austenitic 304L Stainless Steel (UNS S30403) is used in many industries including but not limited to chemical processing, medical, commercial and domestic applications and is a favorable candidate for additive manufacturing (AM) because of its excellent weldability. In this research, the microstructure and corrosion behavior of AM 304L Stainless Steel (SS) and its wrought counterpart were studied under three conditions: as-fabricated, heat treated at 700°C for 250 hours and heat treated at 800°C for 250 hours. Test coupons were electrochemically characterized in accordance with ASTM G59–97 and ASTM G61–86 protocols in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. Microstructural characterization was performed using optical & scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results of the electrochemical and microstructural characterization will be presented and discussed.