Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation of sintering behavior of additively manufactured stainless steel powder particles using reconstructed microstructures from synchrotron X-ray microtomography

Abstract

In this study, the sintering behavior of additively manufactured stainless steel powder particles is simulated using a three-dimensional kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) model. The initial microstructure of powder particles is reconstructed using micro-CT images from the Argonne National Laboratory’s synchrotron X-ray microtomography facility. Using the model, the sintering characteristics of the powder, including its relative density, neck growth, and grain coarsening, are quantitatively analyzed. Sintering temperature directly affects the rate of densification and grain growth and coarsening. Higher temperature results in faster densification and grain growth. Additionally, the relationship between grain coarsening and densification is analyzed. It is observed that when the relative density is below 0.70, the powder particles undergo densification; whereas when the relative density is higher than 0.70, grain coarsening is the main mechanism.