Heat Treatment of Corrosion Resistant Steel for Water Propellers Fabricated by Direct Laser Deposition

The urgency of heat treatment of samples of maraging steel obtained by direct laser deposition from steel powder 06Cr15Ni4CuMo is considered. The structural features and properties of 06Cr15Ni4CuMo steel samples after direct laser deposition and heat treatment are studied. The work is devoted to research into the influence of thermal processing on the formation of structure and the mechanical properties of deposit samples. Features of formation of microstructural components by means of optical microscopy are investigated. Tests for tension and impact toughness are conducted. As a result, it was established that the material obtained by the direct laser deposition method in its initial state significantly exceeds the strength characteristics of heat treatment castings of similar chemical composition, but is inferior to it in terms of impact toughness and relative elongation. The increase in relative elongation and impact toughness up to the level of cast material in the deposit samples is achieved at the subsequent heat treatment, which leads to the formation of the structure of tempered martensite and reduction in its content at two-stage tempering in the structure of the metal. The strength of the material is also reduced to the level of cast metal.