Investigation of stainless steel 316L/zirconia joint part fabricated by powder injection molding

Abstract

The joint part of stainless steel 316L (SUS316L)/zirconia was investigated. The specimens were fabricated using the powder injection molding (PIM) with insert-injection molding. SUS316L, zirconia, and a mixture of SUS316L and zirconia were used as bonding materials. The processing conditions for PIM were developed and optimized to avoid defects in the final sintered part. The bonded parts of SUS316L/mixed layer and zirconia/mixed layer were fabricated without joint failure. However, warpage and contamination existed due to the different sintering behavior and remaining binders. To reduce the warpage, the solids loading of SUS316L were changed to 44 and 40 vol. %. The warpage was decreased by reducing the shrinkage difference between the SUS316L and mixed layer. The contamination was also reduced by increasing the powder bedding in the debinding and sintering process. The microstructures and chemical compositions were confirmed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope (EDS). Migration of the main components was observed at the interface and the main components were presented together at the whole part interface and interface between 2 materials in the mixed layer. It was confirmed that the joining was done with bonding of the same materials in each layer and diffusion bonding.