Abstract
A consensus on the tribological performance of components by additive-versus conventional manufacturing has not been achieved; mainly because the tribological test set-ups thus far were not suited for investigating the underlying microstructure's influence on the tribological properties. As a result, utilization of additive manufacturing techniques, such as selective laser melting (SLM), for tribological applications remains questionable. Here, we investigate the anisotropic tribological response of SLM 316L stainless steel via in situ SEM reciprocating micro-scratch testing to highlight the microstructure's role. As-built 316L SLM specimens were compared against annealed wire-drawn 316L. We found that: (i) microgeometric conformity was the main driver for achieving steady-state friction, (ii) the anisotropic friction of the additively manufactured components is limited to the break-in and is caused by the lack of conformity, (iii) the cohesive bonds, whose strength is proportional to frictional forces, are stronger in the additively manufactured specimens likely due to the dislocation-dense, cellular structures, (iv) low Taylor-factor grains with large dimension stimulate microcutting in the form of long, thin sheets with serrated edges. These findings uncover some microstructurally driven tribological complexities when comparing additive to conventional manufacturing.
•Degree of tribological anisotropy of 316L by additive manufacturing was examined.•Evolution of tribological contact against a hard indenter was observed in situ.•Friction was isotropic at steady-state and proportional to the dislocation density.•Additively manufactured 316L has higher steady-state friction than conventional 316L•Grains with low Taylor factor and larger dimension suffer from micro-cutting.