| Powder metallurgy has the ability to fabricate high quality, complex components to close tolerances in an economical manner. In many applications, a high sintered density is desirable for an improved performance. However, sintering to a high density demands a large shrinkage, often resulting in difficulties with dimensional control. Recent studies indicate the occurrence of a sufficient densification requires a low in situ strength at high sintering temperatures. On the other hand, the low in situ strength often leads to component's distortion in response to the external forces, such as gravity. Unfortunately, lack of knowledge on strength evolution in sintering has been a major challenge to achieve an optimized combination of densification and shape retention.; Therefore, the present study investigates strength evolution in sintering and the effects of processing factors. Experiments are performed on prealloyed bronze and elemental mixture of Fe-2Ni powders. For the bronze, a loose casting method is used to fabricate transverse rupture bars, while bars are injection molded for the Fe-2Ni. The in situ transverse rupture strength is measured using the Penn State Flaming Tensile Tester. Experimental results indicate a dependence of densification and strength on sintering temperature. High temperatures enhance densification and interparticle bonding, resulting in strong sintered structures. However, a low in situ strength at high test temperatures indicates the dominance of thermal softening.; A strength model combining sintering theories and microstructural parameters is developed to predict both the in situ strength and the post-sintering strength. The model demonstrates the strength of the sintered materials depends on the inherent material strength, the square of neck size ratio, sintered density, and thermal softening. The model is verified by comparison of model predictions with experimental data of the bronze and Fe-2Ni. Compared to prior strength models, this model has certain advantages. It is a predictive model for both the in situ strength and post-sintering strength, and can be extended to other systems. |
