Microstructure and crystallographic texture of direct energy deposition printed 316L stainless steel

The microstructural features and crystallographic texture of 316L stainless steel prepared by direct energy deposition (DED) are studied. The grain size, morphology, grain boundary, misorientation distribution along different direction and mechanical properties are characterized via detailed electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis and Vickers microhardness tester. The DED-built 316L stainless steel exhibits equiaxed cellular and elongated morphology. Only a few number of dislocations are accumulated and entangled near small grain boundary. The sample contains mainly large angle grain boundary. 316L stainless steel powder is melted to form a deep and shallow shape measured from the top view. The average grain size is 38.32 µm and 29.79 µm for the top and side view, respectively. Two strong textural components of {001}<100> cube texture and {110}<001> Goss texture are formed perpendicular and parallel to the scanning direction, respectively. The microhardness of DED-built 316L stainless steel achieves a higher average value of 261.74 HV.