Vol. 11, No. 1 (sep. 2026), eblg006
AISI 316L and ASTM F138 in Focus: From Processing to Biomedical Reliability
Prof. Ricardo Luiz Perez Teixeira Blog (Engineering, Innovation and Education), Itabira, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Sept. 2026), eblg006. ISSN: 3086-5557.
22/09/2026
Ricardo Luiz Perez Teixeira
Instituto de Engenharias Integradas da Universidade Federal de Itajubá, Itabira, MG, Brazil
Abstract
This text brings together recent studies on AISI 316L and ASTM F138 austenitic stainless steels, with particular emphasis on the relationships among processing, microstructural evolution, surface integrity, corrosion, tribocorrosion, fatigue, and metallic implant performance. These publications establish a coherent scientific pathway from phase transformations during welding to surface engineering and electrochemical stability, and ultimately to the mechanisms governing biomaterial durability under physiological conditions. Complementary studies on numerical modeling, metallurgical sustainability, and applied engineering broaden this perspective by showing how computational methods, process efficiency, and the transition to lower-impact technologies can support a more integrated approach to materials engineering.
Keywords
AISI 316L, ASTM F138, Biomaterials, Corrosion, Fatigue, Microstructure, Modeling, Surface Integrity, Sustainability, Tribocorrosion.
Introduction
Understanding a material's performance requires considering more than its chemical composition. Processing history, thermal and mechanical exposure, phase transformations, defects, residual stresses, and surface condition can determine how a component responds to its environment and to service loading. This approach is particularly important for AISI 316L and ASTM F138 austenitic stainless steels, which are employed in applications where mechanical resistance, corrosion behavior and reliability must be considered simultaneously.
One contribution in this direction is the study of GTAW-welded AISI 316L, in which Teixeira et al. (2026) integrate thermodynamic simulation and experimental characterization to investigate the stability of austenite, delta ferrite, and sigma phase. The work uses CALPHAD and Thermo-Calc, including the TCFE7 and TCFE12 databases and the PRISMA module, linking phase transformations induced by the welding thermal cycle to the material's microstructural and electrochemical behavior. The article was published in Materials Today Communications, Volume 50, article 114537.
The discussion extends from microstructure to surface condition in the review published in Frontiers in Biomaterials Science. In this study, Teixeira (2026) examines the surface integrity and biofunctional performance of AISI 316L implants, focusing on how mechanical surface treatments can promote grain refinement, deformation-induced martensitic transformation, increased dislocation density, and compressive residual stresses. These phenomena are related to passive-film stability, localized corrosion, tribocorrosion, metallic-ion release, and biological response. The review also considers protein adsorption, cellular response, osseointegration, bacterial adhesion, and immune interactions, highlighting the implant surface as a mechanical, electrochemical, and biological interface.
ASTM F138 forms the central theme of another recent review published in Next Research. In this work, Teixeira (2026) integrates processing history, microstructural stability, surface integrity, and degradation mechanisms associated with corrosion, tribocorrosion, and fatigue. The study emphasizes that durability cannot be understood through a single material property. Strain-induced martensite, microstructural heterogeneities, residual stresses, surface condition and the physiological environment interact and influence both damage initiation and damage accumulation. The review also discusses mechanical surface treatments, low-temperature thermochemical processing, laser surface modification, and protective coating systems as strategies for controlling degradation mechanisms.
This line of investigation is directly complemented by the chapter “Electrochemical investigations and corrosion stability of the metallic implants”, published by Teixeira in the book High-Performance Metallic Biomaterials. The chapter addresses electrochemical techniques and corrosion stability in metallic implants and has the individual DOI 10.1515/9783111571423-012. Its subject matter connects microstructural characterization, surface condition, and electrochemical assessment with more recent investigations into the surface integrity and long-term durability of implant materials.
Taken together, these studies make it possible to follow a particularly relevant scientific chain for biomedical and materials engineering:
processing → microstructure → surface integrity → electrochemical and mechanical interaction → degradation → service reliability.
This sequence shows why assessing materials such as AISI 316L and ASTM F138 should integrate physical metallurgy, manufacturing, surface engineering, corrosion science, tribology, and fatigue rather than treating these areas as isolated phenomena.
Connections with Modeling, Sustainability and Applied Engineering
The same principle of integrating process conditions, material behavior and engineering performance also appears in complementary studies.
In the chapter “Sustainable pathways in metallurgical and materials engineering”, Teixeira (2026) discusses routes to lower-impact metallurgy, including green steel, hydrogen-based direct reduction, electric arc furnaces, carbon capture and storage, circular economy strategies, and the valorization of metallurgical by-products. The chapter examines sustainability in metallurgy as a systems-level challenge involving energy efficiency, raw-material use, emissions, industrial symbiosis, and technological transition. This broader perspective extends materials-performance discussions beyond service behavior to include the environmental and technological conditions under which materials are produced.
The chapter “Comparative analysis of numerical methods for solving inverse heat transfer problems in machining”, by Sousa et al. (2026), addresses numerical modeling. The study combines the Finite Element Method with the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm to analyze inverse heat-transfer problems in machining and compares mesh configurations, interpolation functions, and numerical solvers. The results indicate that suitable numerical configurations, particularly iterative solvers combined with optimized meshes and lower-order interpolation functions, can reduce computational time and file size while maintaining accuracy comparable to conventional approaches. This highlights the importance of numerical efficiency when thermal behavior and heat-flux estimation are central to understanding manufacturing processes.
Another applied-engineering contribution comes from Signoretti et al. (2025), who investigate the NACA 4412 and Clark Y profiles for small-diameter wind-turbine blades. The study combines SolidWorks modeling, additive manufacturing by 3D printing, wind-tunnel testing, and aerodynamic evaluation. Tests at different angles of attack and flow velocities enabled comparison of lift, drag, and rotational performance, illustrating how prototyping, experimentation, and quantitative assessment can be integrated into engineering design.
Although these complementary studies address different engineering problems, they share an important methodological feature with the research on AISI 316L and ASTM F138: establishing quantitative relationships among processing conditions, physical phenomena, and final performance. This convergence between materials science, computational modeling, and applied engineering supports approaches that address not only reliability but also contemporary requirements related to sustainability, energy efficiency, and technological performance.
An Invitation to Read and Cite
The studies brought together in this text may be useful to researchers working on austenitic stainless steels, metallic biomaterials, ASTM F138, AISI 316L, GTAW, CALPHAD, surface engineering, corrosion, tribocorrosion, fatigue, metallic implants, numerical modeling and sustainable metallurgy.
If any of these studies contributes to the development of your article, dissertation, thesis, research project or literature review, you are warmly invited to consult the original publication and cite it whenever it is scientifically relevant to the subject under investigation. Appropriate citation recognizes the authors' contribution, helps establish connections among independent studies, and broadens the circulation of scientific knowledge across different areas of engineering.
References
Teixeira, R. L. P. (2026). Processing, microstructure, surface integrity, and fatigue-related degradation of ASTM F138 austenitic stainless steel for biomedical applications. Next Research, 13, 102458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nexres.2026.102458.
Perez Teixeira, R. L. (2026). Surface integrity and biofunctional performance of AISI 316L stainless steel implants: The role of mechanical surface treatments, corrosion resistance, and tribocorrosion behavior. Frontiers in Biomaterials Science, 5, 1913354. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbiom.2026.1913354.
Teixeira, R. L. P., Damasceno, A. I. P., Nascimento, R., Vilas Boas, S. B., de Lacerda, J. C., Penha, R. N., Brito, R. F., Hasegawa, H. L., de Brito, T. G., & da Silva, E. M. (2026). Phase stability, microstructural evolution, and corrosion behavior of GTAW-welded AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel. Materials Today Communications, 50, 114537. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcomm.2025.114537.
Teixeira, R. L. P. (2025). Electrochemical investigations and corrosion stability of metallic implants. In High-Performance Metallic Biomaterials. De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111571423-012.
Teixeira, R. L. P. (2026). Sustainable pathways in metallurgical and materials engineering. In Sustainable Materials Engineering and Green Corrosion Inhibitors. The chapter addresses sustainable metallurgical pathways, including hydrogen-based reduction, electric arc furnaces, carbon capture, circular metallurgy, and by-product valorization.
Sousa, D. S. M., Brito, R. F., Teixeira, R. L. P., Guimarães, P. M., & Lacerda, J. C. (2026). Comparative analysis of numerical methods for solving inverse heat transfer problems in machining. In Technological Development and the Exact Sciences. https://doi.org/10.54033/stebook.978-65-83309-52-5_7.
Signoretti, V. T., Simões Filho, A. A., Teixeira, R. L. P., Brito, R. F., Guimarães, P. M., Lacerda, J. C., & Gonçalves, L. M. (2025). Análise comparativa da eficiência aerodinâmica em pás de aerogeradores de pequeno diâmetro: NACA 4412 vs. Clark Y [Comparative analysis of aerodynamic efficiency in small-diameter wind-turbine blades: NACA 4412 vs. Clark Y]. In A. Catapan (Ed.), Innovation and Precision: New Horizons in Exact Sciences and Their Interfaces. Editora GSA. https://doi.org/10.24857/edgsa.978-65-6153-000-2_1.
Tags
Brand new ideas here.