Three-body dry abrasive wear properties of 15–5 precipitation hardening stainless steel produced by laser powder bed fusion process

Abstract Additive manufacturing (AM) has been widely considered as a popular manufacturing technique for the production of specific engineering components by various industries. Among the various AM techniques, laser powder bed fusion process (L-PBF) has the potential to make defect-free parts with good material properties. However, the mechanical properties are greatly dependent on the part quality, and the heat treatment processes they are subjected. The current study compares the abrasive wear resistance property of L-PBF 15-5 Precipitation Hardening (PH) Stainless Steel to that of the conventionally manufactured wrought counterpart in the aged condition (W_H900). The L-PBF parts were tested in as-built (S_AB), solution annealed (S_SA) and aged (S_H900) conditions. The test results showed better wear resistance for the L-PBF specimens as compared to the wrought specimens. The fine grain size of the L-PBF specimens formed a large network of grain boundaries and strengthened the bulk properties. The material volume loss of S_H900 specimens decreased by 21.45% compared to the W_H900 specimens during dry abrasion tests. From the microstructural characterization of the wear surface, micro-cutting and micro-ploughing appeared to be the primary material removal mechanisms, along with some regions showing micro-cracking effect.