Effect of TaC on microstructure and mechanic properties of 316L stainless steel by selective laser melting

we report a highly efficient method without damage to metal particles for the powder blending prepared for SLM under the specific content of reinforcement. By using this method, the sphericity of 316L particles maintain well and the reinforcement was uniformly distributed on the surface of 316L particles. The relative density of samples produced by SLM is almost 100%.We added the micron-TaC to 316L as reinforcement for the first time, and found that adding only 1.5vol.% TaC increased the yield strength of 316L by 30.9% accompanied by obvious grain refinement and generation of dislocation. Moreover, this article shows a large number of microscopic characterization photos to confirm our viewpoints.