Tensile Mechanical Behavior and Spall Response of a Selective Laser Melted 17-4 PH Stainless Steel

The tensile mechanical behavior and spall response of a selective laser melted (SLM) 17-4 precipitation-hardening (PH) stainless steel were studied comprehensively through tensile test, plate impact experiment and microstructure characterization in the present study. The results reveal a steel with significant strain rate dependence on the tensile mechanical behavior and spall response. As the strain rate increases, the tensile yield stress increases, but there is no monotonic variation trend for the peak stress; grain structure remains unchanged first and then becomes fine; high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) increase; the martensite phase decreases at first and then increases. There is a close correlation among impact velocity, strain rate, peak stress, Hugoniot elastic limit (HEL) and spall strength. Strain rate, peak stress and HEL increase, while spall strength remains almost constant with the increase of impact velocity. As impact velocity increases, grain structure becomes fine, HAGBs increase and the martensite phase increases. The significant phase transformation is responsible for the tensile mechanical behavior and spall response, and the temperature rise was calculated to analyze its effect on phase transformation. Whether the preferred orientations are along the building direction or tensile direction is dependent on strain rate. Tensile and spallation specimens exhibit the ductile fracture mode and the damage originates from voids. It is interesting that the voids always tend to nucleate at melt pool boundaries. A spall damage evolution model is illustrated to describe the damage process.