ISSN: 0354-7965; eISSN: 3042-3163; UDC: 621.791; DOI: 10.65156

Proceedings of the 34th International Conference WELDING 2026, pp. 67-75


Effect of post-processing heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of wire arc additively manufactured 15-5 PH martensitic stainless steel

Damjan Klobčar1, a, Drago Bračun1, b, Uroš Trdan1, c, Aljaž Ščetinec2, d, Tomaž Vuherer3, e, Marek Polanski4, f, Aleksija Đurić5, g, Miodrag Milčić6, h, Nataša Zdravković6, i, Dragan Milčić6, j, Matija Bušić7, k

  • 1Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva cesta 6, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • 2Brinox inženiring d.o.o., Sora 21, 1215 Medvode, Slovenia
  • 3Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maribor, Smetanova 17, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
  • 4Faculty of Advanced Technologies and Chemistry, Military University of Technology, ul. gen. Sylwestra Kaliskiego 200-908 Warsaw, Poland
  • 5University of East Sarajevo, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Vuka Karadžića 30, East Sarajevo, RS, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • 6Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Niš, Aleksandra Medvedeva 14, 18000 Niš, Republic of Serbia
  • 7University Nord - University Center Varaždin, Department of Mechanical Engineering, J. Križanića 31b, 42 000 Varaždin, Croatia

  • Emailadamjan.klobcar@fs.uni-lj.si
  • Emailbdrago.bracun@fs.uni-lj.si
  • Emailcuros.trdan@fs.uni-lj.si
  • EmaildAljaz.Scetinec@brinox.eu
  • Emailetomaz.vuherer@um.si
  • Emailfmarek.polanski@wat.edu.pl
  • Emailgaleksija.djuric@ues.rs.ba
  • Emailhmiodrag.milcic@masfak.ni.ac.rs
  • Emailinatasa.zdravkovic@masfak.ni.ac.rs
  • Emailjdragan.milcic@masfak.ni.ac.rs
  • Emailkmbusic@unin.hr
  • ORCID iDa0000-0002-6130-0328
  • ORCID iDb0000-0002-0107-9983
  • ORCID iDc0000-0002-0688-2919
  • ORCID iDd0000-0002-5096-7223
  • ORCID iDe0000-0002-1866-8266
  • ORCID iDf0000-0003-0163-514X
  • ORCID iDg0000-0002-0251-6364
  • ORCID iDh0000-0002-1089-8390
  • ORCID iDi0000-0001-6085-7522
  • ORCID iDj0000-0002-3936-7462
  • ORCID iDk0000-0003-4027-3479
  • DOI: 10.65156/wws.sjdp.si.007
  • Article Type: Original scientific paper
  • Language: English/Serbian
  • Received: January 2026
  • Accepted: June 2026

Abstract

This paper investigates the directed energy deposition (DED) of 15-5 PH stainless steel followed by post-processing through solution annealing and precipitation hardening (PH) to enhance microstructural homogeneity and mechanical performance. A parametric study was conducted to evaluate the effects of solution annealing and aging under various temperature and time combinations. Material characterization was performed in the as-deposited, solution-annealed, and precipitation-hardened conditions using microscopy, hardness testing, tensile testing, and impact toughness measurements. The as-deposited microstructure consisted primarily of martensitic laths with retained δ-ferrite. Optimization of the solution annealing treatment was essential to achieve a homogeneous austenitic microstructure prior to aging. Following precipitation hardening, the material exhibited mechanical properties comparable to those of conventionally manufactured 15-5 PH stainless steel.


Keywords

Direct Energy Deposition - Arc (DED-Arc), heat treatment, microstructure, mechanical properties, 15-5 PH martensitic stainless steel


References

Under construction


Open Access and Licensing

This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 International license (CC BY-SA 4.0). The authors retain copyright and grant the journal the non-exclusive right to publish, distribute, archive and identify the article as the original published version.