Corrosion performance of an additive manufactured 316L stainless steel in the concrete pore solution

Selective laser melting (SLM) is a manufacturing technique that can be used to create products with complex geometries and materials. This study investigated the microstructure and electrochemical behavior of SLM-processed 316L stainless steel (SLM-fabricated 316L SS) and a commercially wrought counterpart in a concrete pore solution. The results showed that SLMed 316L SS had a finer microstructure with ultrafine cellular/columnar grains than the wrought counterpart. This was due to the high cooling rate of the SLM process. The SLM sample also had a higher charge transfer resistance and lower corrosion current densities than the wrought counterpart, indicating better corrosion performance in alkaline media. This could be attributed to the fabrication method of the SLM- fabricated sample, which prevents the formation of harmful phases and defects. These properties indicate an improved corrosion performance of the SLM sample over the wrought counterpart. As a result, SLM can be a promising fabrication method for producing corrosion-resistant materials.