Powder Metallurgy

Introduction
 science of producing metal or metallic powders,
and using them to make finished or semi-finished
products
 Overview- In this process we make powder of
metals , mixes it with some lubricants or additives
then the mixture is compacted followed by
sintering. Some secondary operations can also be
carried out, if necessary.
 Steps in
Powder Metallurgy
Why Powder Metallurgy?
 Melting point of the metal to be used for making a
product is too high (eg- W, Mo)
 Reaction occurs at melting of certain metals
 Used for metals that are too hard to machine
 Used when very large quantity is expected
Powder Metallurgy Process
 Metal Powders
 Metal powders are highly engineered materials
 Important Aspects of metal powders : the particle size, the distribution and
shape of the metal powder affect the properties of the compacted product
 the particle size is usually measured by screening
 Passing the metal powder through sieves of various mesh sizes
 Larger the mesh size, smaller is the opening in the sieve
 The distribution of the particle size is given in terms of frequency
distribution plot, the maximum is called the Mode Size
 The particle shape is described in terms of the aspect ratio (Aspect Ratio
is the ratio of the largest dimension to the smallest dimension of the
particle)
 the aspect ratio ranges from unity (for spherical particle) to about 10 for
flake-like or needle-like particle
Particle Shapes in Metal
Powders
SEM photo of iron powder Ni- based super alloy powder
particles made by atomisation particles made by the rotating
electrode process
 Widely used Metal Powders
Pure Metals Alloys Compunds
Aluminium Aluminium-iron Borides(chromium,
tungsten, etc.)
Antimony Brass Carbides (molybdenum,
tungsten, etc.)
Bismuth Copper-zinc-nickel Molybdenum disulphide
Cadmium Nickel-chromium-iron Nitrides (silicon
titanium, etc.)
Copper Nickel-copper Zirconium hydride
Iron Nickel-iron
Lead Silicon-iron
Tin Stainless steel
Titanium
Vanadium
zinc
 Methods of Powder
Production
Atomization
Carbonyls

Reduction
Mechanical
Electrolytic Deposition Alloying
 Atomization
 Molten metal is forced through a nozzle into
a stream of air or water, upon contact with
the stream the molten metal is solidified into
particles of wide range of sizes
 The size of he particles formed depends on
the temperature of the metal, rate of flow,
nozzle size and the jet characteristics
 Reduction
 the reduction of metal oxide, removal of oxygen, uses gases
such as hydrogen and carbon monoxide as reducing agents,
very fine metallic oxides are reduced to metallic state, the
metals produced by this metal by this method are spongy and
porous, and have uniformly sized spherical or angular
shapes.
 important points here are the metals produced by this method
are spongy and porous, as well as they are uniformly sized
 Carbonyls
 metal carbonyls such as iron carbonyl and nickel
carbonyl, are formed by letting iron or nickel react with
carbon monoxide. The reaction products are then
decomposed to iron and nickel, they turn into small,
dense, uniform, spherical particles of high purity
 Again here, we can see the emphasis is on the shape and
size of the particles
Roll Crushing Ball Milling Hammer Milling
 Mechanical Alloying
 In mechanical alloying powders of two or more metals are
mixed in a ball mill, under the impact of hard balls, the powder
fracture and join together by diffusion forming alloy powders
 when the final product has some specification regarding the
mechanical and the physical property, we need to blend the
different metals together to get the final property. So, we need
to go for this process
 Electrolysis
 here the basic principle is to pass high amperage through metal
plates acting as anode and cathode in the presence of
electrolyte.
 the powdery deposit on the cathode is scraped off and
pulverized to produce the powder of desired grain size
 so, we do not get the metal powder to be directly used,
whatever is deposited on the cathode, we remove that and then
we pulverize it
Blending Metal Powders
 Powders made by various processes have different sizes
and shapes, they must be mixed to obtain uniformity
 Powders of different metals and other materials can be
mixed to impart special physical and mechanical
properties and characteristics to the P/M part
 Lubricants can be mixed with powders to improve their
flow characteristics, the results are reduced friction
between the metal particles, improved flow of the metal
powders into the dies, and longer die life with less wear
 Blending…
 Powder mixing must be carried out under controlled
conditions, to avoid deterioration or contamination
 Deterioration is caused by excessive mixing, which
may alter the shape of the particles and work harden
them and making the subsequent compaction difficult
 Powders can be mixed in air, in inert atmospheres (to
avoid oxidation), or in liquids, which act as lubricants
and make the mix more uniform
 Hazard with Metal
Powders
 Because of their high surface are-to-volume ratio, metal
powders are explosive
 Al, Mg, Ti, Zr, and Th are particularly explosive
 Great care must be exercised both during blending and in
storage and handling
 Precautions include preventing sparks, open flames and
chemical reactions
 Compaction
Application of high pressure to the powders to form them into the required
shape.

Conventional compaction method is pressing, in which opposing punches

squeeze the powders contained in a die.
 The work part after pressing is called a green compact, the word
green meaning not yet fully processed.
 The green strength of the part when pressed is adequate for handling
but far less than after sintering.
 Compacting
 Press powder into the desired shape and size in dies using a hydraulic or mechanical
press
 Pressed powder is known as “green compact”
 Stages of metal powder compaction:
 Compacting
Powders do not flow like liquid, they simply compress until an equal and opposing
force is created.
– This opposing force is created from a combination of
(1) resistance by the bottom punch and
(2) friction between the particles and die surface

Compacting consolidates and dandifies the component for transportation to the sintering
furnace.

Compacting consists of automatically feeding a controlled amount of mixed powder

into a precision die, after which it is compacted.
 Compacting

Compacting is usually performed at room temperature. Pressures range from 10 tons per
square inch (tons/in2) (138 MPa) to 60 tons/in2 (827 MPa), or more.
Figure: (Left) Typical press for the compacting of metal powders. A removable die set (right) allows the
machine to be producing parts with one die set while another is being fitted to produce a second product.
 Compaction Sequence

Figure: Typical compaction sequence for a single-level part, showing the functions of the feed shoe,
die core rod, and upper and lower punches. Loose powder is shaded; compacted powder is solid
black.
 Sintering
 It is a process whereby green compacts are heated in a controlled
atmosphere furnace to temperature below the melting point , but
sufficiently high to allow bonding of individual particles.
 The principle variables in sintering are temp. , time , and the furnace
atmosphere.
 Temperature is around 70-90% of the melting point of metals and alloys.
 Time ranges from 10 min.(iron and copper alloys) to 8 hours(tungsten and
tantalum).
Sintering temperature and
time MATERIAL TEMPERATURE
(K)
TIME
(Min)

Copper , brass , bronze 1030-1160 10-40

Nickel 1270-1420 30-45

Stainless steels 1370-1560 30-60

Ferrites 1470-1770 10-600

Molybdenum 2273 120

Tungsten 2630 480

Tantalum 2670 480

 Secondary and Finishing
In order to improve Operations
the properties of sintered P/M
products further or to impart special characteristics several
additional operations may be required, like :
Coining and Shaping
are compaction operations, performed under high pressure
to impart dimensional accuracy, to improve strength and
surface finish by densification.
Impact forging
It is done for good surface finish, good dimensional
tolerances , and a uniform and fine grain size.
Impregnating
The typical application is to impregnate the sintered
part with oil ,usually by immersing the part in heated
oil, such components have a continuous supply of
lubricant, by capilary action, during their service
lines.
 Infiltration
A slug of lower melting point is placed against a sintered
part and then the assembly is heated to a temperature
sufficient to melt the slug. The molten infiltrates the pores,
by capillary action to produce a relatively pore free part
having good density and strength(infiltration of iron based
compacts by copper)
The hardness and tensile strength is improved and the
pores are filled, which prevents moisture penetration.
 Plating
 It is given for pleasing appearance and protection from corrosion,
inner porosity has to be taken care of before plating and has to be
eliminated.
 Impregnation with molten metal helps, but galvanic corrosion is likely
between dissimilar metals.
 Difference in coefficients of expansion and contraction may lift the
plating material.
 Impregnating the part with a plastic resin will overcome most of these
difficulties.
 Machining
 Certain features such as threads, grooves, side holes and undercuts are
machined on the semi finished sintered blanks.
 High speed steel tools prove satisfactory for short runs whereas tungsten
carbide tools are recommended for machining for a longer time.
 Volatile coolants such as carbon tetrachloride can be used because they
vapourize readily and leave no residue.
 Coolant oil of some type as used to impregnate a self lubricating bearing
can also be used.
 Design considerations for P/M
 The shape of the part must permit easy ejection from die.
 The shape must not require the poeder to flow into thin walls,
narrow passages or sharp corners.
 The shape of the part must permit the construction of stong and
rigid tooling.
 Several stepped diameters should be avoided.
 Abrupt changes in sections and internal angles without generous
fillets should be avoided,
 Powder Metallurgy products
The products can be classified commonly into four groups:
 Porous products , bearings and fillers
 Products of complex shapes that require considerable machining,
like gears
 Products made from materials that are very difficult to machine,
tungsten carbide
 Products where the combined properties of two metals, or of
metals and non metals are desired
Applications
Metal Filters
Used for filtering, diffusing, controlling the flow of gases
and liquid , separating liquid having different surface
tensions, removing moisture from airstreams, acting as
sound deadeners etc.
Cutting tools and Dies
Cemented carbide cutting tool inserts are widely used in
machine shops, produced by p/m from tungsten carbide
powder mixed with cobalt binder, these cutting tools
have high hot hardness and wear resistance.
Bearings and bushes
Used with rotating parts , made from copper powder
mixed with graphite, lead and tin are used for better wear
resistance, after sintering the bearings are impregnated
with oil, porosity in the bearings may be as high as 40%
of the volume , the lubricant is metered to the bearing
surface by capillary action when heat or pressure is
applied.
Structural or Machine parts
Machine parts including gears, sprockets and rotors are
made from metal powders mixed with sufficient graphite
to give the product desired carbon content, the parts
usually have 20% porosity, self lubrication helps in quite
operation and lower wear.