MSE 440/540: Processing of Metallic Materials

Instructors: Yuntian Zhu

Office: 308 RBII
Ph: 513-0559

[email protected]

Lecture 15: Powder Metallurgy

Department of Materials Science and Engineering 1 NC State University

 Powder Metallurgy (PM)
•  Usual PM production sequence:
1.  Pressing - powders are compressed into desired shape to
produce green compact
•  Accomplished in press using punch-and-die
2.  Sintering – green compacts are heated to bond the particles
into a hard, rigid mass
•  Temperatures are below melting point

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 Why Powder Metallurgy is Important
•  PM parts can be mass produced to net shape or near net shape

•  PM process wastes very little material - ~ 3%

•  PM parts can be made with a specified level of porosity, to

produce porous metal parts
–  Filters, oil‑impregnated bearings and gears

•  Difficult to fabricate parts can be shaped by powder metallurgy

–  Tungsten filaments for incandescent lamp bulbs are made by PM

•  Certain alloy combinations and cermets can only be made by

PM
•  PM production can be automated for economical production

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 Limitations and Disadvantages

•  High tooling and equipment costs

•  Metallic powders are expensive
•  Problems in storing and handling metal powders
–  Degradation over time, fire hazards with certain metals
•  Limitations on part geometry because metal powders do
not readily flow well
•  Variations in density may be a problem, especially for
complex geometries

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 Production of Metallic Powders
•  Any metal can be made into powder form
•  Three principal methods by which metallic
powders are commercially produced
1.  Atomization
2.  Chemical
3.  Electrolytic
•  In addition, mechanical milling is occasionally
used to reduce powder sizes

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 Gas Atomization Method
High velocity gas stream flows through expansion nozzle, siphoning
molten metal and spraying it into container

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 Iron Powders for PM

Powders produced by water atomization

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 Conventional Press and Sinter Steps
1.  Blending and mixing of powders
2.  Compaction - pressing into desired shape
3.  Sintering - heating to temperature below melting point
to cause solid‑state bonding of particles and
strengthening of part

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 Blending and Mixing of Powders
The starting powders must be homogenized
•  Blending - powders of the same chemistry but
possibly different particle sizes are
intermingled
–  Different particle sizes are often blended to reduce
porosity
•  Mixing - powders of different chemistries are
combined

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Mjsi2F2MrY

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 Compaction
High pressure to form the powders into the required
shape
•  Conventional compaction method is pressing, in
which opposing punches squeeze the powders
contained in a die
•  The workpart after pressing is called a green
compact,
•  The green strength of the part should be adequate for
handling

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 Conventional Pressing in PM

•  Pressing in PM: (1) filling

die cavity with powder by
automatic feeder; (2) initial
and (3) final positions of
upper and lower punches
during pressing, (4) part
ejection

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VmeIunoyKw

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 Sintering
Heat treatment to bond the metallic particles,
thereby increasing strength and hardness
•  Usually carried out at 70% to 90% of the
metal's melting point (absolute scale)
•  The primary driving force for sintering is
reduction of surface energy
•  Part shrinkage occurs during sintering due to
pore size reduction

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 Sintering Sequence on a Microscopic Scale

•  (1) Particle bonding is initiated at contact points; (2)

contact points grow into "necks"; (3) pores between
particles are reduced in size; (4) grain boundaries
develop between particles in place of necked regions

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 Sintering Cycle and Furnace

•  (a) Typical heat

treatment cycle
in sintering; and
(b) schematic
cross section of
a continuous
sintering furnace

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 Densification and Sizing
•  Secondary operations are performed on
sintered part to increase density, improve
accuracy, or accomplish additional shaping
–  Repressing - pressing in closed die to increase
density and improve properties
–  Sizing - pressing to improve dimensional accuracy
–  Coining - pressing details into its surface
–  Machining - for geometric features that cannot be
formed by pressing, such as threads and side holes

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 Impregnation and Infiltration
•  Porosity is a unique and inherent
characteristic of PM technology
•  It can be exploited to create special
products by filling the available pore
space with oils, polymers, or metals
•  Two categories:
1.  Impregnation
2.  Infiltration

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 Impregnation
The term used when oil or other fluid is
permeated into the pores of a sintered PM
part
•  Common products are oil‑impregnated
bearings, gears, and similar components
•  Alternative application is when parts are
impregnated with polymer resins that seep
into the pore spaces in liquid form and then
solidify to create a pressure tight part

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 Infiltration
Operation in which the pores of the PM part are
filled with a molten metal
•  The melting point of the filler metal must be
below that of the PM part
•  Heating the filler metal in contact with the
sintered part so capillary action draws the
filler into the pores
–  Resulting structure is nonporous, and the
infiltrated part has a more uniform density, as well
as improved toughness and strength

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 Alternative Pressing and Sintering Techniques

•  Some additional methods for producing PM

parts:
–  Isostatic pressing - hydraulic pressure is applied
from all directions to achieve compaction
–  Powder injection molding (PIM) - starting polymer
has 50% to 85% powder content
•  Polymer is removed and PM part is sintered
–  Hot pressing - combined pressing and sintering

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 PM Materials – Elemental Powders

A pure metal in particulate form

•  Common elemental powders:
–  Iron
–  Aluminum
–  Copper
•  Elemental powders can be mixed with other
metal powders to produce alloys that are
difficult to formulate by conventional methods
–  Example: tool steels

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 Pre-Alloyed Powders
Each particle is an alloy comprised of the
desired chemical composition
•  Common pre-alloyed powders:
–  Stainless steels
–  Certain copper alloys
–  High speed steel

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 PM Products

•  Gears, bearings, sprockets, fasteners,

electrical contacts, cutting tools, and various
machinery parts
•  Advantage of PM: parts can be made to near
net shape or net shape
•  When produced in large quantities, gears and
bearings are ideal for PM because:
–  Their geometries are defined in two dimensions
–  There is a need for porosity in the part to serve as a
reservoir for lubricant

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_FW7Q2xO5o&feature=related
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 Four Classes of PM Parts

•  (a) Class I Simple thin shapes; (b) Class II Simple but

thicker; (c) Class III Two levels of thickness; and (d)
Class IV Multiple levels of thickness

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 Side Holes and Undercuts

•  Part features to be avoided in PM: (a) side

holes and (b) side undercuts since part
ejection is impossible

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 Design Guidelines
for PM Parts - III
•  Screw threads cannot be fabricated by PM
–  They must be machined into the part
•  Chamfers and corner radii are possible in PM
–  But problems occur in punch rigidity when angles
are too acute
•  Wall thickness should be a minimum of 1.5
mm (0.060 in) between holes or a hole and
outside wall
•  Minimum hole diameter ~ 1.5 mm (0.060 in)

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 Chamfers and Corner Radii
•  (a) Avoid acute angles; (b) use larger angles for
punch rigidity; (c) inside radius is desirable; (d) avoid
full outside corner radius because punch is fragile at
edge; (e) better to combine radius and chamfer

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 HW assignment
•  Reading assignment: Chapters, 20.4, 21

•  Review Questions: 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5,

10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 10.11, 10.12, 10.14, 10.15,
•  Problems: 10.1,

Department of Materials Science and Engineering 27 NC State University