Recent research on 13-4 martensitic stainless steel manufactured by metal additive manufacturing, particularly using the Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) process, has made it possible to obtain materials with good mechanical properties. Following this optimization phase, current work is now focused on studying their Very High Cycle Fatigue (VHCF) behavior, which is a critical criterion for components subjected to repeated loading under severe operating conditions.
Fatigue is one of the main causes of failure in metallic components during service. This thesis therefore aims to understand and model the fatigue behavior of LMD-produced 13-4 steel. The work will investigate the influence of microstructure, thermomechanical treatments, and testing conditions on crack initiation and propagation during mechanical loading.
Experimental investigations will be carried out using ultrasonic fatigue testing devices. Failure mechanisms will be analyzed through multi-scale characterization techniques such as EBSD, SEM, and TEM. The final objective is to develop a predictive model capable of estimating the service life of components under operating conditions.