from the conferences organized by TANGER Ltd.
Additive manufacturing (3D printing) represents a modern method of material production in many industrial sectors. Materials produced in this way can also be used in the field of hydrogen storage and transportation. This work deals with the influence of hydrogen on 316L stainless steel produced by additive manufacturing using Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technology. Flat tensile test specimens were tested in the as-built condition after printing and after heat treatment. Recrystallization annealing was carried out in a vacuum furnace at a temperature of 1050 °C for 30 minutes, with a heating rate of 20 °C per minute, followed by furnace cooling. The specimens were then electrolytically hydrogen charged in 0.05 M sulfuric acid solution with the addition of KSCN at current densities 1 and 5 mA·cm-2 for 8 hours. The effect of hydrogen on mechanical properties was evaluated by the slow strain rate tensile tests (SSRT). The presence of hydrogen slightly affected the tensile strength and ductility. The microstructure was also examined both in the as-built condition and after annealing. Annealing at 1050 °C resulted in recrystallization. The original layered structure with the presence of melt pools typical for materials produced by this way transformed into the common austenitic structure that can be observed in conventionally produced materials. Microhardness was also measured. In addition, fractographic analysis of the fracture surfaces was performed.
Keywords: Additive manufacturing, stainless steel, hydrogen embrittlement, slow strain rate test (SSRT)© This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.