Influence of Deposition Plane Angle and Saline Corrosion on Fatigue Crack Growth in Maraging Steel Components Produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion

Abstract

Maraging steels are used in several industries, namely in the molds industry. The determination of fatigue crack propagation resistance in 18Ni300 maraging steel at the Paris regime is a vital issue for safety-relevant components, which are designed to work for a large number of loading cycles before periodic inspections. The main goal of this work is to analyze the influence of the deposition plane angle and saline corrosion on fatigue crack growth in maraging steel samples produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF). The crack closure parameter was used in order to analyze the different fatigue crack growth behaviors, as well as the metallographic, hardness, fractography and corrosion/oxidation analysis. From this work, the main achievement was that the deposition plane angle did not reveal a notable influence in the fatigue crack growth behavior for the fatigue tests unsubmitted to saline corrosion. On the other hand, the fatigue crack growth behavior for the tests under saline corrosion showed an increase in the crack closure parameter due to the appearance of the crack closure induced by oxides, which reduced the fatigue crack growth speed. This phenomenon depends on the deposition plane angle, which controls the martensite amount and consequently controls the level of corrosion/oxidation.

Fatigue properties of resistance spot‐welded maraging steel produced by selective laser melting

“…1 Among the various AM processes available, selective laser melting (SLM) has emerged as a prominent technology for the automotive industry. 2,3 The potential advantages of SLM, including its flexibility in design, wide range of materials, [4][5][6][7] and its ability to manufacture lightweight and durable parts with complex geometries, 8 make it a promising technology for the future of automotive manufacturing.…”

“…In recent years, the state of the art in AM has evolved from rapid prototyping to rapid manufacturing, enabling the cost‐efficient and time‐efficient production of complex and customized parts 1 . Among the various AM processes available, selective laser melting (SLM) has emerged as a prominent technology for the automotive industry 2,3 . The potential advantages of SLM, including its flexibility in design, wide range of materials, 4–7 and its ability to manufacture lightweight and durable parts with complex geometries, 8 make it a promising technology for the future of automotive manufacturing.…”