Analysis of compaction and sintering behavior of 316L stainless steel nano/micro bimodal powder

Abstract

Nano powder had various advantages on powder metallurgy process. However, because of its high price and difficulties in treatment, nano powder cannot be easily applied to the field. As a result, nano/micro bimodal powder has been introduced to overcome such problems. In this study, the effects of nano powder ratio in nano/micro bimodal powder on powder metallurgy process have been investigated. The master sintering curves for the bimodal powders were also developed for the first time. With micro, nano and 3 different bimodal powders, compaction behavior was investigated, and dilatometric sintering was carried out to analyze the densification behavior during the sintering process. The results showed bimodal powders had relatively high green density, and the highest value was obtained with 25% nano bimodal powder. The powder also provided the highest densification parameter. Based on the dilatometer data, the master sintering curves of each powder were constructed, and all curves were consistent with experimental data. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.