Solidification behaviour of austenitic stainless steels during welding and directed energy deposition

The effect of cooling rate on the solidification behaviour of austenitic stainless steels during high energy density welding and directed energy deposition (DED) has been reviewed. Precedent studies demonstrated the confinement of austenite–ferrite duplex region and the susceptibility of specific alloy compositions on the Schaeffler diagram to alteration of solidification mode at high cooling rates during the high energy density welding. Meanwhile, mitigated cooling conditions have dominated during the DED process. The instances of microstructural fluctuations owing to cooling rate variation have been compiled. The incorporation of DED steels into the implicated Schaeffler diagrams demonstrated reliable predictions at high cooling rates. The printability of austenitic stainless steels during the DED process has been discussed in terms of solidification cracking susceptibility.