PSI - Issue 83

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ScienceDirect

Procedia Structural Integrity 83 (2026) 246–255

© 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the ESIAM26 organizers Keywords: Direct Metal Laser Sintering; AISI 316L; Welded joints; Tensile testing; Thermography; Fracture analysis. Abstract The mechanical behaviour of AISI 316L stainless steel manufactured via Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) was evaluated in both non-welded and welded conditions. The investigation integrated tensile testing, Vickers microhardness mapping, and thermographic monitoring with detailed post-fracture observations. To bridge the gap between global tensile response and localized performance, local true stress-true strain curves were reconstructed from hardness data using the Lopez-Fatemi and Kamaya analytical approaches. This allowed for a local assessment of the base material (BM), heat-affected zone (HAZ), and weld metal (WM). Results indicate that welding significantly degrades the overall mechanical performance and introduces pronounced local gradients, characterized by a progressive decrease in hardness and strength from the BM toward the WM. T hese findings, further supported by thermographic and fracture analyses of distinct deformation and failure mechanisms, provide a critical experimental foundation for the development of accurate non-linear finite element models. The fourth European Conference on the Structural Integrity of Additively Manufactured Materials (ESIAM26) AISI 316L base material and welded specimens produced by DMLS: global and local experimental analysis under tensile loadings Niccolò Vilotta a , Pasqualino Corigliano a *, Danilo D’Andrea a , Giacomo Risitano a , Guido Di Bella a , Giulia Palomba a Department of engineering, University of Messina, Messina 98166, Italy

Nomenclature AM

additive manufacturing

K

strength coefficient

ASTM

American Society for Testing and Materials

n

strain-hardening exponent

BM

base material

WM

weld metal elongation

DMSL

Direct Metal Laser Sintering

ΔL ΔT

E F

Young's modulus

temperature difference

applied load

C 2 H 6 O C 3 H 8 O 3

ethanol glycerol

HAZ

heat-affected zone Brinell hardness Vickers hardness

HB HV

HCl

hydrochloric acid

HNO 3

nitric acid

* Corresponding author. Tel.: 090 6765940 E-mail address: pasqualino.corigliano@unime.it

2452-3216 © 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the ESIAM26 organizers 10.1016/j.prostr.2026.07.028