Sliding wear behavior and electrochemical properties of binder jet additively manufactured 316SS /bronze composites in marine environment

The tribo-corrosive behaviours of the 316 stainless steel (316SS) and bronze-infiltrated binder jet additively manufactured 316SS (BJP316) in sea water environment were investigated. The tribological results suggested that the BJP316 showed comparable yield strength and friction behaviour to the traditional 316SS, while a significant improvement in wear resistance was achieved for test loads up to 80 N and reciprocating frequency up to 20 Hz. It is hypothesized that the smeared bronze across the wear track acted as a solid lubricant, while the formed passive oxide film acted as tribofilm that inhibited the abrasive wear under the high loads. Electrochemical evaluation indicated that the corrosion rate of BJP316 was one order of magnitude higher than that of the traditional 316SS in sea water. This study provides valuable insights into the tribocorrosion of binder jet additively manufactured 316SS in sea water environment, and helps to better understand its potential marine applications.