Anisotropy in electrochemical jet texturing of rolled stainless steel SUS304

The influence of the processing method of bulk material on the resultant workpiece surface microstructure in electrochemical jet texturing (EJT) is presented. A rolled stainless steel plate SUS304 workpiece is subjected to EJT for texturing by applying various current densities and jet kinematics. The resultant surface topography, removal characteristics, surface chemistry, and texture pattern are carefully investigated considering material microstructures. Experimental results reveal evident anisotropic behavior of texture which depends on the surface orientation with respect to the rolling direction. Periodic microstructures of aligned ripples are exclusively produced on surfaces parallel to the rolling direction, demonstrating the considerable influence of the rolling process on the EJT. Further, it is clarified by microstructural characterizations that the anisotropic texturing is ascribed to segregation bands of alloying elements resulting from the plastic deformation of the rolling process.