AISI 316LÂ Stainless Steel Tribological Behavior under Sliding and Erosive Conditions: A Comparison between Spark Plasma Sintering, Laser Metal Deposition, and Cold Spraying

Differently processed AISI 316L SS samples were studied to understand the impact of the fabrication process on their tribological and erosion behavior. Samples processed by spark plasma sintering (SPS), laser metal deposition (LMD), and cold spraying (CS) were compared with a commercial grade steel sample. Tribotests were performed at 28 °C and 500 °C using a ball-on-disk tribometer under a normal load of 10 N at dry sliding conditions. Parameters such as hardness, bond strength, and secondary phases show major roles in deciding the wear resistance of a material. Tribotests revealed that the cold sprayed sample has the highest wear rate of ~ 1.4 × 10-4 mm3/N m at 28 °C and the lowest wear rate of ~ 0.22 × 10-4 mm3/N m at 500 °C. At 28 °C, the SPS and commercial grade steel samples showed nearly the same wear rate of ~ 0.40 × 10-4 mm3/N m while LMD showed a wear rate of ~ 0.66 × 10-4 mm3/N m. At 500 °C, SPS, LMD, and commercial grade 316 LSS showed a wear loss of ~ 0.56, ~ 0.32, and ~ 0.66 × 10-4 mm3/N m, respectively. Erosion is a serious issue in many applications and is addressed in our study to understand the suitability of fabricated samples under erosive conditions. Erosion studies were carried out using an air–sand erosion tester at two different blasting angles, namely, 45° and 90°. The highest erosion rate was observed in the CS sample which might be due to the weaker bonding between the as-sprayed particles. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]