Fatigue response of as built DMLS processed Maraging Steel and effects of machining and heat and surface treatments

The main motivations for this study arise from the need for an assessment of the fatigue performance of DMLS produced Maraging Steel MS1, when it is used in the “as fabricated” state. The literature indicates a lack of knowledge from this point of view, moreover the great potentials of the additive process may be more and more incremented, if an easier and cheaper procedure could be used after the building stage. The topic has been tackled experimentally, investigating the impact of heat treatment, machining and micro-shot-peening on the fatigue strength with respect to the “as built state”. The results indicate that heat treatment significantly enhances the fatigue response, probably due to the relaxation of the post-process tensile residual stresses. Machining can also be effective, but it must be followed (not preceded) by micro-shot-peening, to benefit from the compressive residual stress state generated by the latter.