Effects of Additive Manufacturing Methods on the Dynamic Properties of 15-5PH Stainless Steel

Experimental research was conducted to determine the dynamic properties and characterize the microstructure of 15-5PH Stainless Steel manufactured through Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) additive manufacturing (AM) processes and heat treated using common heat treatment protocols. A thorough understanding of the material\u27s properties is necessary before such parts are utilized in an operational capacity. Of the five builds, two deviated significantly from the specified composition of 15-5PH stainless steel. The remaining three builds, possessing the desired composition and crystalline structure, were tested in compression and tension at two strain rates. Tension tests using a reflected wave and a momentum trap SHB setup collected data reflecting a natural variation within builds and across builds and orientation of typically less than 7%. A slight build orientation bias is noted resulting in higher ductility of the horizontal build orientation compared to the vertical of the same material. A simplistic linear interpolation of true stress-strain curves show fairly consistent strain softening trends at higher strain rates across the material subject sets