ABSTRACT
In this investigation, 316L stainless steel, one of the three metal alloy grades used as a biomaterial, is produced by a selective laser melting process (SLM) of additive manufacturing. Static properties and microstructures including fracture morphologies were investigated as a function of build angles of 0, 30, 60, and 90 degrees. Static properties, namely elastic modulus, yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and percent elongation were evaluated using a MTS landmark servo hydraulic machine. Microstructures were characterized using a Leica DM750P optical microscope, paired with Leica application suite software. Tensile fracture surfaces were investigated with LEO-VP SEM instrument. The SLM processed 316L biomaterial grade stainless steel showed tensile properties of elastic modulus and ultimate tensile strength similar to wrought material, while exhibiting differences for the yield and % elongation properties. Microstructures demonstrated a heterogeneous structure with melt pool boundaries, columnar and cellular dendrites with pores and voids. The fracture morphologies showed ductile mode of fracture demonstrating a good level of strength and ductility required as a synthetic biomaterial.
