Different post-heat treatment responses on microstructure and mechanical characteristics of maraging steel 1.2709 samples produced by LPBF

The study focuses on the enhancement of microstructural and microhardness characteristics of Laser-Based Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) maraging steel 1.2709 with the effect of different heat treatment (HT) conditions including aging (AT), double aging (DAT), and solutioning (ST) and compared with the as-built (AB) condition. The samples were fabricated with the LPBF process parameters, utilizing 120 W of laser power, 500 mm s-1 of scanning speed, maintaining 20 mu m layer thicknesses, with the laser spot width and hatch spacing of 0.0550 mm and 100 mu m respectively in the argon environment with the 45 degrees rotating raster scanning pattern. Further the as-built and heat treated samples were evaluated utilizing electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), microhardness, x-ray diffraction (XRD) and relative density. The FESEM analysis indicated that the DAT samples exhibit a more refined and uniform interdendritic grain growth of precipitates Ni3 (Al, Ti) compared to the as-built sample, which exhibited porosity and lack of fusion. Aging reduces the presence of interlayer defects, while the solution-heat-treated sample reveals the formation of lath martensite. The microhardness exhibited an increase following three distinct heat treatment conditions: AB, AT, DAT, and ST, measuring 450 HV, 650 HV, 760 HV, and 520 HV, respectively. The ferrite content was recorded at 99.6%, 87.4%, 99%, and 99.4%, while the austenite content was 0.4%, 12.6%, 1%, and 0.6%. The grain size in the ferrite phase was 8.72 mu m, 6.087 mu m, 6.86 mu m, and 0.32 mu m, and in the austenite phase the grain size was 0.26 mu m, 0.86 mu m, 2.51 mu m, and 6.89 mu m.