Effect of Direct Aging Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Laser Powder Bed Fused Maraging Steel 300-Grade Alloy

This paper investigates the effects of a 6-hour direct aging heat treatment at 490 °C on the mechanical, tribological, and microstructure characteristics of laser powder bed fused maraging 300 steels, which is produced at various laser energy densities. After direct aging heat treatment, the grain boundaries become irregular and vague due to the residual stress releasing, squeezing of precipitates into the grain boundaries, and phase transformations. The XRD analysis reveals the reverted austenite (γ′) phase forms during aging treatment due to the inevitable reversion of metastable martensite to the stable reverted γ′ phase. The heat-treated samples' microhardness rises with rising the laser energy density (LED) from 61.41 to 92.10 J/mm³ due to a decrease in the reversed austenite phase and a further rise in LED decreases the microhardness of heat-treated samples due to a rise in the reversed austenite phase after heat treatment. The heat-treated sample produced at LED of 92.10 J/mm³ shows maximum yield, ultimate tensile strengths, and minimum elongation percentage due to its high microhardness, and the fractography results show the failure mode as a mixed brittle and ductile fracture. The wear-rate of the heat-treated additively manufactured maraging 300 steel decreases as the LED increases from 61.41 to 92.1 J/mm³ and a further rise in LED from 92.10 J/mm³ to 166.66 J/mm³, the wear-rate increases. The wear-rate rises with a rise in sliding velocity from 1.5–3.5 m/s. The dominant wear mechanism was observed as abrasion with small grooves and saplings.