O Titânio e suas ligas possuem uma grande aplicação na área biomédica devido à combinação de suas propriedades mecânicas, físicas e químicas, como baixa densidade, alta resistência mecânica, baixo módulo de elasticidade, alta resistência à corrosão e boa biocompatibilidade. O presente trabalho estudou o processo de metalurgia do pó, descrevendo suas ferramentas, máquinas e processos. Pesquisa bibliográfica e análises experimentais foram feitos para obtenção de materiais biocompatíveis, através da mistura de pós metálicos, compactação e sinterização. Foram realizadas mistura dos pós de titânio (Ti) e nióbio (Nb) em proporções distintas para viabilizar a aplicação deste produto na área da medicina. Foram feitos testes para obter as características mecânicas do material, já compactado e sinterizado, com o objetivo principal de aplicar este material em implantes humanos. Além dos implantes a liga de Ti-Nb também pode ser usada na fabricação de prótese de reabilitação e testes de implantes em animais. A compactação da mistura dos pós metálicos foi realizada em uma prensa hidráulica ferramentada com dois punções e uma matriz fechada, dando origem a um material denominado compactado verde. Com os materiais já compactados, a próxima etapa foi levá-los ao forno para sinterização, de acordo com as respectivas temperaturas para cada grupo de corpo de prova. Os resultados mostraram que as amostras, sinterizadas pelo processo da metalurgia do pó, levaram à obtenção de peças de alta porosidade (de acordo com a densidade teórica). A microestrutura predominante encontrada em amostras sinterizadas a 1450 ºC consiste em partículas de titânio e nióbio bastante irregulares e com tamanhos desproporcionais, devido à diferença do tamanho das partículas dos pós, como mostrou o ensaio metalográfico. O ensaio de compressão mostrou um baixo módulo de elasticidade em função da porosidade alta, e os resultados foram considerados baixos se comparados à resistência óssea. A dureza também não foi considerada ideal, em função da alta porosidade. / Titanium and its alloys have a wide application in biomedical field due to the combination of its mechanical, physical and chemical properties such as low density, high mechanical strength, low elasticity modulus, high corrosion resistance and good biocompatibility. This work studied the process of powder metallurgy, describing their tools, machines and processes. Bibliographical research and experimental analyses were made to obtain biocompatible materials, by mixing metal powders, compacting and sintering. Titanium (Ti) powder mixtures with Niobium (Nb) powder were performed in distinct proportions to enable the application of this product in medical field. Tests were made to obtain the mechanical characteristics of the material, already compacted and sintered, with the main objective of applying this material in human implants. Besides the implants Ti-Nb alloy can also be used in the manufacture of prosthetic rehabilitation and testing of implant in animals. The compaction of the metal powders mixture was performed in a hydraulic press with two punctures and a closed die giving rise to a material called compacted green. With the materials already compressed, the next step was to take them to the oven for sintering, in accordance with their respective temperatures for each group of specimen. The results showed that the samples, sintered by powder metallurgy process, led to obtain parts of high porosity (according to the theoretical density). The predominant microstructure found in samples sintered at 1450 ºC consist in particles of Titanium and Niobium very irregulars and disproportionate in size, due to powders particles size difference, as shown by metallographic test. The compression test showed a low elasticity modulus due to high porosity and the results were considered low when compared to bone resistance. The hardness was not considered ideal, due to the high porosity.

In the present study / the effects of the powder metallurgical parameters such as the mixing method, compaction pressure, initial tungsten (W) particle size, composition, sintering temperature and sintering time on the sintering behavior of selected high density W-Ni-Cu alloys were investigated. The alloys were produced through conventional powder metallurgy route of mixing, cold compaction and sintering. The total solute (Ni-Cu) content in the produced alloys was kept constant at 10 wt%, while the copper concentration of the solutes was varied from 2.5 wt% to 10 wt%. Mainly liquid phase sintering method was applied in the production of the alloys. The results of the study were based on the density measurements, microstructural characterizations including optical and scanning electron microscopy and mechanical characterizations including hardness measurements. The results showed that the nature of the mixing method applied in the preparation of the powder mixtures has a considerable effect on the final sintered state of W-Ni-Cu alloys. Within the experimental limits of the study, the compaction v pressure and initial W particle size did not seem to affect the densification behavior. It was found that the sintering behavior of W-Ni-Cu alloys investigated in this study was essentially dominated by the Ni content in the alloy and the sintering temperature. A high degree of densification was observed in these alloys with an increase in the Ni content and sintering temperature which was suggested to be due to an increase in the solubility and diffusivity of W in the binder matrix phase with an increase in these parameters, leading to an increase in the overall sintering kinetics. Based on the results obtained in the present study, a model explaining the kinetics of the diffusional processes governing the densification and coarsening behavior of W-Ni-Cu alloys was proposed.

In the present study, production of titanium and Ti6Al4V alloy foams has been investigated using powder metallurgical space holder technique in which magnesium powder were utilized to generate porosities in the range 30 to 90 vol. %. Also, sintering of titanium and Ti-6Al-4V alloy powders in loose and compacted condition at various temperatures (850-1250oC) and compaction pressures (120-1125 MPa), respectively, were investigated to elucidate the structure and mechanical properties of the porous cell walls present due to partial sintering of powders in the specimens prepared by space holder technique. In addition, microstructure and mechanical response of the porous alloys were compared with the furnace cooled bulk samples of Ti-6Al-4V-ELI alloy subsequent to betatizing. It has been observed that the magnesium also acts as a deoxidizer during foaming experiments, and its content and removal temperature is critical in determining the sample collapse. Stress-strain curves of the foams exhibited a linear elastic region / a long plateau stage / and a densification stage. Whereas, curves of loose powder sintered samples were similar to that of bulk alloy. Shearing failure in foam samples occurred as series of deformation bands formed in the direction normal to the applied load and cell collapsing occured in discrete bands. Average neck size of samples sintered in loose or compacted condition were found to be different even when they had the same porosity, and the strength was observed to change linearly with the square of neck size ratio. The relation between mechanical properties of the foam and its relative density, which is calculated considering the micro porous cell wall, was observed to obey power law. The proportionality constant and the exponent reflect the structure and properties of cell walls and edges and macro pore character.

Porous Ti-6Al-4V alloys are widely used in the biomedical applications for hard tissue implantation due to its biocompatibility and elastic modulus being close to that of bone. In this study, porous Ti-6Al-4V alloys were produced with a powder metallurgical process, space holder technique, where magnesium powders were utilized in order to generate porosities in the range of 50 to 70 vol. %. In the productions of Ti-6Al-4V foams, first, the spherical Ti-6Al-4V powders with an average size of 55 &mu / m were mixed with spherical magnesium powders sieved to an average size of 375 &mu / m, and then the mixtures were compacted with a hydraulic press under 500 MPa pressure by using a double-ended steel die and finaly, the green compacts were sintered at 1200

<p>The powder metallurgy (PM) process route is very competitive for mass production of structural steel components with complex shape, due to efficient material utilisation, low energy consumption, and short overall production time. The most commonly used alloying elements are the processing friendly metals Cu, Ni and Mo. However, the prices for these metals are today high and volatile, which threatens to make the PM process less competitive compared to conventional metal forming processes. Consequently, there is a strong desire in the PM industry to increase the use of less costly alloying elements. Cr is an attractive alternative since it, besides low cost, provides high hardenability and also recyclable components. The drawback is that Cr has high affinity for oxygen, which makes oxidation and oxide reduction in PM processing of Cr-alloyed materials a challenging issue. Furthermore, the interaction between nitrogen and Cr-alloyed powder during processing is important to consider, since Cr also has high nitrogen affinity and is prone to form nitrides.</p><p>The aim of the research work presented in this thesis was to study oxide reduction and nitrogen uptake in sintering of Cr-alloyed steel powder. Water-atomized powder grades pre-alloyed with 1.5-3% Cr were used as test materials. Sintering experiments were performed in N₂/H₂ (90/10) atmospheres with test bars pressed to density 7.0-7.2 g/cm3. The oxygen content of the sintering atmosphere was varied and different sintering temperatures and cooling rates were applied. The experimental study has been complemented with thermodynamic calculations using the software Thermo-Calc.</p><p>The oxygen partial pressure should be below 4 x 10^-18 atm in order to have reducing conditions during sintering at 1120°C of steel powder pre-alloyed with 3% Cr. With graphite added to the powder, conditions are reducing at higher oxygen partial pressures (up to 10^-16 atm) due to favourable conditions locally in the material. Sintering at 1120°C for 30 minutes leads to incomplete reduction of Cr-oxides in the Cr-alloyed PM grades, but remaining oxides are not detrimental for mechanical properties of the PM components. Increased sintering temperature is beneficial for the oxide reduction kinetics and practically all oxides are reduced after sintering for 30 minutes above 1200°C. Nitrogen uptake by Cr-alloyed steel powder from N₂-based sintering atmospheres is strongly dependent on the cooling rate applied after sintering. No nitrides appear in the sintered material and mechanical properties are not affected when normal cooling rates (0.5-1°C/s) are applied. Very low cooling rates (such as 0.05°C/s) may lead to grain boundary precipitation of Cr-nitrides in the sintered material.</p><p> </p>

Thesis (M.S.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Mechanical Engineering. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Mechanical Engineering. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Currently, there is a high demand for lightweight aerospace materials, driven by the desire to provide enhanced fuel efficiency by reducing vehicular weight. Aluminum alloys are attractive due to their excellent mechanical properties and high strength to weight ratios. Powder metallurgy (PM), which converts metal powder into a high performance product, presents an alternative to traditional forming techniques, which are often unable to provide adequate dimensional tolerances. The challenge is to determine if aluminum PM alloys and technologies can be successfully employed within aerospace applications. This research focuses on the PM processing technologies (die compaction, cold isostatic pressing (CIP), and spark plasma sintering (SPS)) of two alloys, PM2024 and PM7075. Processing parameters were assessed using attributes such as density, hardness, and tensile properties. Both powders showed comparable densities and tensile properties to their wrought equivalents. Ultimately, the groundwork was laid for future research into these alloys and their processing methods.

Al-Si based alloys are commonly used in the automobile industry due to their superior properties, high strength to weight ratio, corrosion resistance, recyclability, etc. These alloys are fabricated by casting and powder metallurgy techniques in which porosity is a common feature. The presence of pores is accompanied by a decrease in mechanical properties, i.e., a drop in hardness and ductility of the materials. In the present study, an attempt was made to understand the effect of surface porosity on the tribological property. A380M and Al-6wt% Si alloys were used to prepare specimens containing 2.6 to 6.9% porosity via casting and 1 to 6.7% porosity via powder metallurgy techniques, respectively. Dry sliding wear behavior was investigated in the load range 6-20 N against an AISI 52100 bearing steel ball using a reciprocating ball-on-flat configuration at a frequency range of 4-20 Hz for cast and 15 Hz for P/M samples.

Aluminum (Al) powder metallurgy (PM) provides a cost effective and environmentally friendly means of creating lightweight, high performance, near net shape components, relative to conventional casting/die casting technology. Unfortunately, the current lack of commercially available Al alloy powder blends has hindered development in this field as a result of the limited scope of mechanical properties available; especially under elevated temperature conditions common to many automotive applications. As such, the objective of this research was to attempt to improve the versatility of current Al PM technology through the incorporation of Fe and Ni transition metal additions into an emerging Al- 4.4Cu-1.5Mg-0.2Sn alloy, as this technique is known to enhance the elevated temperature stability of wrought/cast Al alloys through the formation of stable, Fe/Ni aluminide dispersoids. Initial experimentation consisted of evaluating the feasibility of incorporating Fe and Ni both elementally and pre-alloyed, through a series of tests related to their PM processing behaviour (compressibility, sintering response) and sintered product performance (ambient tensile properties). Results confirmed that pre-alloying of the base Al powder was the most effective means of incorporating Fe and Ni as all such specimens achieved properties similar or slightly superior to the unmodified alloy. Of the pre-alloyed systems considered, that containing 1%Fe+1%Ni displayed the most desirable results in terms of mechanical performance and microstructural homogeneity of the Fe/Ni dispersoid phases present in the sintered product. Bars of the baseline system and that modified with pre-alloyed additions of 1Fe/1Ni were then sintered industrially to gain a preliminary sense of commercial viability and obtain additional specimens for elevated temperature exposure tests. Results confirmed that the sintering response, tensile properties and microstructures were essentially identical in both alloys whether they were sintered in a controlled laboratory setting or an industrial production environment. Furthermore, DSC data indicated that S (Al2CuMg)-type phases were the dominant precipitates formed during heat treatment. The effects of elevated temperature exposure were assessed in the final stage of research. Both alloys were found to exhibit comparable behaviour when exposed to the lowest (120°C) and highest (280°C) temperatures considered. Here, the alloys showed no obvious degradation at 120°C. Conversely, exposure at 280°C prompted a steady decline in yield strength for both alloys with significant precipitate coarsening noted as well. Despite these similarities, differences emerged during isochronal tests at intermediate temperatures. Here, DSC data indicated that the precipitates present in the pre-alloyed material were stable at temperatures up to 160°C while those in the unmodified alloy had begun to overage under the same exposure conditions. These differences were accompanied by increased stability in tensile yield strength for the pre-alloyed material. In all, this study has indicated that the use of Al powder pre-alloyed with Fe/Ni additions is feasible for press-and-sinter PM technology and that the sintered product exhibits improved elevated temperature stability under certain conditions.