Effect of powder-pack aluminizing on microstructure and oxidation resistance of wire arc additively manufactured stainless steels

This study investigated the effect of powder-pack aluminizing treatment on the high-temperature oxidation of ER307 stainless steel components fabricated by wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) during isothermal oxidation at 1000 degrees C for 5 h, 25 h, and 50 h. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersion spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-Ray fluorescence (XRF), nanoindentation testing, and oxidation testing were used to characterize the aluminized and non-aluminized samples produced by WAAM. The results showed that the powder-pack aluminizing increased the surface nano-hardness up to 13.95 GPa and the modulus of elasticity up to 159 GPa, as well as improving the microstructure of WAAM ER307 stainless steel. Indeed, aluminide coatings remained stable up to temperatures exceeding 1000 degrees C, and the growth of hematite, the main oxide phase, was inhibited by a preferential alumina growth (Al2O3), resulting in an improvement in oxidation resistance in the range of 46-70 %. In addition, owing to the advantages of low-temperature aluminizing, the microstructure, mechanical properties, and oxidation resistance of these alloys have been improved without causing sigma phase formations, which constitute a significant problem in high-temperature heat treatment of stainless steels.