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Ultrasonic Characterization of Iron Powder Metallurgy Compacts during and after Compaction

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Advanced Performance Materials

Abstract

Ultrasonic measurements in powder metallurgy (PM) compacts at various stages of production are presented both as a practical means of improving PM production and as a method of providing a fuller understanding of PM materials. Ultrasonic monitoring during powder compaction, a novel process instrumentation technique to follow powder densification, is reviewed. Measurements taken during the compaction of simple PM disk demonstrate that the ultrasonic velocity can be used as a measure of the in situ density. This connection arises due to the acoustic equivalence between powder during compaction and PM compacts after sintering. Ultrasonic monitoring during compaction of a two-level PM part is demonstrated to be fully capable of independently following the density in each level. The results also provide evidence of different regimes of powder flow behaviour during compaction. Ultrasonic velocity mapping of the two-level compact after sintering provides confirmation of the monitoring results. Subsequently, measurements of the ultrasonic velocity in green PM compacts are shown to be consistent with a dependence on the quality of inter-particle bonding. Finally, laser ultrasonic measurements in PM compacts are used to determine the ultrasonic attenuation. Attenuation values in a sintered compact are shown to follow a simple Rayleigh scattering dependence on frequency which yields a powder particle size consistent with the known value.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Industrial Materials Institute, National Research Council Canada, 75 de Mortagne, Boucherville, Québec, J4B 6Y4, Canada

    Andrew Lerossignol Dawson & Jean François Bussière

Authors
  1. Andrew Lerossignol Dawson
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  2. Jean François Bussière
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Dawson, A.L., Bussière, J.F. Ultrasonic Characterization of Iron Powder Metallurgy Compacts during and after Compaction. Advanced Performance Materials 5, 97–115 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008690122209

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008690122209

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