Effect of heat treatments on microstructural and tribological properties of 3d printed 18Ni-300 maraging tool steel made by selective laser sintering process

Abstract

The effect of heat treatments on the tribological and microstructural properties of 18Ni-300 maraging steel produced using the AM technique, which allows complex geometries, was investigated. The tribological properties of the samples were examined under dry atmospheric conditions through sliding wear tests at varying loads and speeds while maintaining a fixed distance. Studies utilizing spectrographic have unveiled that the material's structure is predominantly layered, consisting primarily of dense acicular martensite, along with recycled austenite and intermetallic components. The highest hardness was recorded in sample S1 with 49.7 HRC, while the lowest hardness was measured in sample S3 with 19.5 HRC. In terms of wear resistance, the lowest wear loss, at 0.098 g, was seen in the S1 sample, whereas the S3 sample displayed the highest wear loss at 0.209 g. With these findings, it can be concluded that the appropriate heat treatment significantly enhanced the tribological properties of 18Ni-300 steel.