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Abstract
Gas and water atomised 316L stainless steel powders with similar powder morphology and particle size were injection moulded and sintered. The results show that compacts prepared from the gas atomised powder exhibit higher density and tensile strength, whereas those prepared from the water atomised powder exhibit higher elongation, finer grain size and superior corrosion resistance. Chemical analysis shows that the water atomised powder has a higher Si and O content, and microstructural analysis of the sintered compacts reveals that SiO2 particles disperse as a second phase in the compacts prepared from the atomised powder, which accounts for the property behaviour. Due to the presence of SiO2, the porosity increases, whereas the pore coarsening and grain growth are inhibited. Besides, SiO2 particles can also improve the passivation effect of stainless steel, and hence increase the corrosion resistance.