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High-performance martensitic stainless steel nanocomposite powder for direct energy deposition prepared by ball milling

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Abstract

Direct energy deposition (DED) has great potential for the production of stainless steel matrix nanocomposite parts. However, the propensity of nanoparticle agglomeration leads to the difficulty in realizing homogenous dispersion of nanoparticles in the matrix. In this study, a series of agglomeration-free nano-WC-Co-reinforced 420 stainless steel matrix nanocomposite powders with high flowability were prepared by ball milling under the optimal parameters. The effect of ball milling time on the properties of the composite powders was investigated. Excellent powder properties ensure the DED processing performance. Furthermore, the corresponding composites were fabricated by DED, and the effects of nano-WC-Co content on the properties of the composites were comprehensively investigated. The contact angles between the single pass cladding layer and the substrate change with increasing nano-WC-Co content (decrease from 127.38° to 113.07°). The different contact angles will significantly influence the quality of the multi-pass cladding layer. Furthermore, the addition of nano-WC-Co leads not only to further grain refinement but also to more pronounced isotropy of the microstructure. With the increase in nano-WC-Co content, the corrosion resistance is significantly improved (62.28% lower corrosion current for 420–15 wt% nano-WC-Co than for 420).

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摘要

直接能量沉积法(DED)在不锈钢基纳米复合材料的制备中具有很大的潜力。然而，纳米颗粒的团聚会导致纳米颗 粒难以在基体中实现均匀分散。本研究采用球磨法，在最佳工艺条件下制备了一系列高流动性的无团聚纳米WCCo 增强420 基纳米复合粉体。研究了球磨时间对复合粉体性能的影响。优良的粉末性能保证了DED 的加工性能。 采用DED 法制备了相应的复合材料，并综合研究了纳米WC-Co 含量对复合材料性能的影响。随着纳米WC-Co 含量的增加，单道次熔覆层与基体的接触角发生变化(从127.38°减小到113.07°)。不同的接触角对多道次熔覆层 的质量有显著影响。此外，纳米WC-Co 的加入不仅使晶粒进一步细化，而且使微观结构具有更明显的各向同性。 随着纳米WC-Co 含量的增加，纳米WC-Co 的耐蚀性显著提高(420-15 wt%纳米WC-Co 的腐蚀电流比420 低 62.28%)。

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Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by Gansu Science and Technology Department (No. 21ZD3GC001).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China

    Zhen Wang, Shu-Rong Xu, Qing-Xuan Sui, Jiang Wang, Bo Liu, Hao Wen, Tian-Yi Xiao, Quan Yuan, Feng-Jun Zhao & Jun Liu

  2. Jinchuan Nickel Cobalt Research and Design Institute, Jinchuan Group Co., Ltd, Jinchang, 737100, China

    Jiang Wang

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  1. Zhen Wang
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Wang, Z., Xu, SR., Sui, QX. et al. High-performance martensitic stainless steel nanocomposite powder for direct energy deposition prepared by ball milling. Rare Met. 42, 2419–2432 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-023-02267-3

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