Abstract
Additive manufacturing (AM), commonly referred to as 3D printing, offers advantages compared to more traditional production methods including quick prototyping, short production runs and intricate, thin section, microfluidic, variable composition and low-waste designs. These exciting features are accompanied by new challenges including higher costs, the possibility of variable quality and inherently anisotropic properties, etc. To utilize the benefits of AM in sour service environments, new qualification and materials testing requirements will be necessary. There are possible corollaries envisioned for the application of AM to sour service with the (additive) technique of welding. In this work, the relative SSC resistance of UNS S17400 stainless steel produced by AM (powder bed fusion) was compared with welded and wrought parts of the same alloy utilizing NACE TM0177 Method A. The chemistry, microstructure, mechanical properties (including hardness), and electrochemical behavior of these materials were examined to explain the results observed and to seek predictors for AM suitability for sour service. The overall goal was to determine if a set of AM parts could comply with the testing requirements of wrought or welded materials for sour service as outlined in NACE MR0175 / ISO 15156-3:2015. Recommendations for a qualification pathway for AM parts in sour service are included.
