Exploiting Process-Related Advantages of Selective Laser Melting for the Production of High-Manganese Steel

Metal additive manufacturing has strongly gained scientific and industrial importance during the last decades due to the geometrical flexibility and increased reliability of parts, as well as reduced equipment costs. Within the field of metal additive manufacturing methods, selective laser melting (SLM) is an eligible technique for the production of fully dense bulk material with complex geometry. In the current study, we addressed the application of SLM for processing a high-manganese TRansformation-/TWinning-Induced Plasticity (TRIP/TWIP) steel. The solidification behavior was analyzed by careful characterization of the as-built microstructure and element distribution using optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, the deformation behavior was studied using uniaxial tensile testing and SEM. Comparison with conventionally produced TRIP/TWIP steel revealed that elemental segregation, which is normally very pronounced in high-manganese steels and requires energy-intensive post processing, is reduced due to the high cooling rates during SLM. Also, the very fast cooling promoted ε- and α'-martensite formation prior to deformation. The superior strength and pronounced anisotropy of the SLM-produced material was correlated with the microstructure based on the process-specific characteristics.