AISI 316L is extremely difficult to heat-treat for hardness due to its low carbon content. Carbon enrichment and surface alloying methods are therefore sometimes implemented before heat treatment operations. Formation of complex and non-homogeneous microstructure obtained by laser technique could result in hardened 316L steel.
The aim of the present work is to carefully examine the phase or structural changes and the microstructural evolution of the laser melted 316L stainless steel in terms of phase transformation, compositional gradients, microstructural changes and texture and the overall effect of these parameters on the hardness of the LM steel. Such information is essential for ensuring the quality and reliability of LM 316L steel parts.