Study on modification of 253 MA austenitic stainless steel by electron beam surface remelting treatment

Improving the surface properties method for 253 MA stainless steel by electron beam surface remelting (EBSR) was proposed. The microstructure of 253 MA stainless steel was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The hardness of the material was tested by a microhardness tester. And the wear properties of the remelted area were systematically studied by the abrasion tester. The results demonstrated that the modified stainless steel exhibited an effectively improved surface morphology, decreased surface roughness, refined grains, increased subgrains, and higher density of dislocations. The texture showed major concentration in Brass {110}(112) texture and S {123}(634) type texture. When the beam current or scanning speed increased, the surface hardness increased, and the wear volume and wear rate decreased, thus effectively enhancing the wear resistance. At a beam current of 3 mA and a scanning speed of 600 mm/min, the surface hardness of 253 MA steel reached the maximum value of 243.3 HV, and the wear amount and wear rate were minimized with the highest level of wear resistance. This paper addresses the study of EBSR treatment technology for 253 MA stainless steel, which has important industrial applications in the field of manufacturing high-performance stainless steel.