SINTERING AND MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES OF A BORON-DOPED AUSTENITIC STAINLESS-STEEL

High density sintering of austenitic steels such as 304L and 316L invo lves a combination of relatively high temperature (>1300 degrees C) an d extended sintering time. This study shows an austenitic stainless st eel can be sintered to near theoretical density at temperatures near 1 240 degrees C using boron additions. Both the amount and the precompou nded form of the boron play a role in determining the sintered microst ructure and properties. A combination of high mechanical properties wi th good corrosion resistance is obtained in an austenitic steel contai ning as high as 0.8w/o boron. Besides densification, the sintering cyc le must consider coarsening above the solidus temperature.