Production of 316L stainless steel implant materials by powder metallurgy and investigation of their wear properties

In this study,the mechanical and wear properties of AISI 316L stainless steel implant materials,produced by powder metallurgy(P/M),were investigated.AISI 316L stainless steel powder was cold-pressed with 800 MPa of pressure and then sintered at 1200,1250 and 1300°C for 30 min as three sample groups.The microstructure,and mechanical and wear properties of the resulting steels were investigated.Light optical and scanning electron microscopiese were used to characterize the microstructure of the steels.Room temperature mechanical properties of the steels were determined by hardness measurements and impact tests.Wear was determined using the pin-on-disc wear test,and the results were evaluated according to weight loss.The results indicate that the sintering temperature,time and atmosphere are important parameters that affect the porous ratio of materials produced by P/M.Sintering at high temperature can eliminate small pores and make the residual pores spherical.The wear tests showed that the wear of the AISI 316L stainless steel implants changed depending on the sintering temperature and load.Spherical pores in the samples increase the wear resistance.Moreover,decreasing the porosity ratio of these materials improves all of their mechanical properties.