POWDER METALLURGY, PROCESSING OF

CERAMICS AND CERMETS

DIEGO FERNANDO ARANA

ANTONIO JOSÉ AYALA
CHRISTIAN EDUARDO DELGADO
CRISTIAN FELIPE ESTRADA UNIVERSIDAD DEL VALLE
SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
BRYAN CAMILO OBANDO MANUFACTURING PROCESSES
POWDER METALLURGY
 POWDER METALLURGY

PM is a technology applied to metal conforming and

allow materials, that involves highly developed
method of manufacturing reliable ferrous and non
ferrous parts. PM is mainly done for complex pieces,
and for medium or high production levels (because of
the powder metal cost)
 POWDER METALLURGY
ADVANTAGES:

● Generates final form (or almost final form),

reducing or eliminating other finish processes.

● There are almost no wastes, 97% approximately

of material is used.

● It can be produced components with certain

porosity levels.

● PM is an automated process
 POWDER METALLURGY
DISADVANTAGES:

● The equipment and tools are expensive, so it is

necessary high production levels, also its storage
and manipulation.

● There are some form limitations, due to some

difficulties of the material yield.

● Sometimes there are density variations,

especially on complex geometries.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF POWDERS
There are some attributes that can define the
individual powder’s shape:

● Particle size and its distribution.

● Form and internal particle’s structure.

● Superficial area.

● Interparticular friction and flow

characteristics.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF POWDERS
The rate between area and volume of any particle can be expressed this way:

or

Where A is surface area, V is volume, D the diameter of the particle and Ks

is the form factor.

 PRODUCTION OF
METALLIC POWDERS
 PRODUCTION OF METALLICS POWDERS
● The company buys the powder

There are 3 types of production in

general:

1. Atomization.
2. Chemical.
3. Electrolysis
ATOMIZATION
The conversion of a molten
metal into a spatter of small
drops.

there are 3 types:

1. Atomization with water (A

and B).
2. Atomization with air(C).
3. Centrifuge atomization(D)
Chemical
Reduction
● Reduces metal
compounds to
elemental metallic
powders.

● The reducing agent

combines with the
oxygen of the
compound and
releases the metallic
element.
Electrolysis

● The metal to be
pulverized is the anode.
● The anode dissolves.
● The material is deposited
in the cathode.
CONVENTIONAL PRESSING AND
SINTERING
After the metallic powders have been produced,
the conventional sequence consists of three
steps:

● BLENDING AND MIXING OF THE POWDERS

● COMPACTION

● SINTERING
● BLENDING AND MIXING OF THE POWDERS
To achieve successful results in compaction and sintering, the metallic powders must be thoroughly
homogenized beforehand.

The terms blending and mixing are both used in this context:

● Blending.
● Mixing

Blending and mixing are accomplished by mechanical means. Four alternatives are

illustrated in Figure (a) rotation in a drum; (b) rotation in a double-cone container; (c) agitation in a screw
mixer; and (d) stirring in a blade mixer.
● COMPACTION
In compaction, high pressure is applied to the powders to form them into the required shape. The
conventional compaction method is pressing, in which opposing punches squeeze the powders
contained in a die.
The capacity of a press for production is generally given in tons or kN or MN. The required force for
pressing depends on the projected area of the PM part (area in the horizontal plane for a vertical press)
multiplied by the pressure needed to compact the given metal powders. Reducing this to equation form:

F= ApPc

where F = required force, N (lb); Ap = projected area of the part, mm2 (in2 ); and Pc = compaction
pressure required for the given powder material, MPa (lb/in2 ). Compaction pressures typically range
from 70 MPa (10,000 lb/in2 ) for aluminum powders to 700 MPa (100,000 lb/in2 ) for iron and steel
powders.
● SINTERING
After pressing, the green compact lacks strength and hardness; it is easily crumbled under low
stresses.

Sintering is a heat treatment operation performed on the compact to bond its metallic particles, thereby
increasing strength and hardness. The treatment is usually carried out at temperatures between 0.7
and 0.9 of the metal’s melting point (absolute scale).
ALTERNATIVE PRESSING AND SINTERING
TECHNIQUES
● ISOSTATIC PRESSING

Pressure is applied from all directions against the powders that are contained in a flexible mold;
hydraulic pressure is used to achieve compaction.

Isostatic pressing takes two alternative forms:

-Cold isostatic pressing

-Hot isostatic pressing

Hot isostatic pressing Cold isostatic pressing
● POWDER INJECTION MOLDING
-Metallic powders are mixed with
an appropriate binder

-Granular pellets are formed from

the mixture

-The pellets are heated to molding

temperature, injected into a mold
cavity, and the part is cooled and
removed from the mold.
● POWDER INJECTION MOLDING

-The part is processed to remove the

binder using any of several thermal
or solvent techniques.

- The part is sintered.

-Secondary operations are

performed as appropriate.
 ● POWDER INJECTION MOLDING
The five basic types of binders in PIM are:

-thermosetting polymers

-thermoplastic polymers

-water

-gels

-inorganic materials
● POWDER ROLLING, EXTRUSION, AND FORGING
Powder Rolling: Powders can be compressed 1-Powders are fed through compaction
in a rolling mill operation to form metal strip rolls to form a green strip.
stock.

2-Sintering

3-Cold rolling

4-Resintering
● POWDER ROLLING, EXTRUSION, AND FORGING

Powder Extrusion: In the most popular

method, powders are placed in a vacuum-tight
sheet metal can, heated, and extruded with the
container
● POWDER ROLLING, EXTRUSION, AND FORGING

Powder Forging: In powder forging, the starting

workpart is a powder metallurgy part preformed
to proper size by pressing and sintering.
● COMBINED PRESSING AND SINTERING
Hot Pressing: The setup in uniaxial hot
pressing is very similar to conventional PM
pressing, except that heat is applied during
compaction.

-Dense

-Strong

-Hard

-Dimensionally accurate
● COMBINED PRESSING AND SINTERING
Spark Sintering: Powder or a green
compacted preform is placed in a die; and
upper and lower punches, which also serve as
electrodes, compress the part and
simultaneously apply a high-energy electrical
current.
● LIQUID PHASE SINTERING
In this process, the two powders are initially
mixed, and then heated to a temperature that is
high enough to melt the lowermelting-point
metal but not the other.

The melted metal throughly wets the solid

particles, creating a dense structure with strong
bonding between the metals upon solidification.
 MATERIALS AND PRODUCTS FOR POWDER
METALLURGY

ELEMENTAL POWDER PRE-ALLOYED POWDER

It consist of a pure metal and are used in This are used for alloys that cannot be
applications in which high purity is important formulated by mixing elemental powders

● Iron ● Copper alloys

● Aluminum ● Stainless steel
● Copper ● High-speed steel
MATERIALS AND PRODUCTS FOR POWDER
METALLURGY
Order of tonnage usage

● Iron
● Aluminum
● Copper and its alloys
● Nickel
● Stainless steel
● high-speed steel
● other PM materials such as tungsten, molybdenum, titanium, tin, and precious
metals
 MATERIALS AND PRODUCTS FOR POWDER
METALLURGY
Powder Metallurgy Products

Gears, bearings, sprockets, fasteners, electrical

contacts, cutting tools, and various machinery
parts.

Facilities

● The geometry is defined

● Porosity in the material
 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS IN POWDER
METALLURGY
Design guidelines

● Minimum 10000 units

● Porosities up to 50%
● Unusual metals and alloys
● Permit ejection from the die
● Screw threads cannot be fabricated
Clase I Clase II Clase III Clase IV ● Chamfers and corner radii
● Wall thickness should be a minimum of
1.5mm and minimum recommended hole
diameter is 1.5 mm
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS IN POWDER
METALLURGY
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS IN POWDER
METALLURGY
CERAMICS AND CERMETS
PROCESSING
 PROCESSING OF
TRADITIONAL CERAMICS
In this section we describe the production technology used to
make traditional ceramic products such as pottery, stoneware
and other dinnerware, bricks, tile, and ceramic refractories.
Bonded grinding wheels are also produced by the same
basic methods.
PREPARATION OF THE RAW MATERIAL

The shaping processes for traditional ceramics require that

the starting material be in the form of a plastic paste. This
paste is made of fine ceramic powders mixed with water, and
its consistency determines the ease of forming the material
and the quality of the final product. The raw ceramic material
usually occurs in nature as rocky lumps, and reduction to
powder is the purpose of the preparation step in ceramics
processing.
SHAPING PROCESSES

The optimum proportions of powder and water

depend on the shaping process used. Some
shaping processes require high fluidity; others
act on a composition that contains very low
water content. At about 50% water by volume,
the mixture is a slurry that flows like a liquid. As
the water content is reduced, increased
pressure is required on the paste to produce a
similar flow.
The shaping processes can be divided
according to the consistency of the
mixture
● Slip casting
● Plastic Forming
● Semi-dry Pressing
● Dry Pressing
● DRYING
-In the first stage, the rate of drying is rapid and
constant, as water is evaporated from the
surface of the clay into the surrounding air and
water from the interior migrates by capillary
action toward the surface to replace it

-Typical drying times range between a quarter

of an hour for thin sections to several days for
very thick sections.
● FIRING (SINTERING)
-Firing is the heat treatment process that
sinters the ceramic material; it is performed in a
furnace called a kiln. In sintering, bonds are
developed between the ceramic grains, and
this is accompanied by densification and
reduction of porosity.

-Unglazed ceramic ware is fired only once;

glazed products are fired twice
PROCESSING OF NEW CERAMICS
 PROCESSING OF NEW CERAMICS
PREPARATION OF INITIAL MATERIALS:

As strength of this kind of materials has to be higher than traditionals ceramics,

powders have to be more homogeneous in size and composition. Particles sizes
are smaller (strength is inversely proportional to grain size), so that it is more
necessary to control initial powders.

The processes for powders are essentially two: chemical treatments

(freeze-drying, precipitated of a solution) and mechanics methods.
 PROCESSING OF NEW CERAMICS
SHAPING:

There are some processes that differ of

the traditional ceramic production, more
related with powder metallurgy:

● Hot-pressed
● Isostatic press
● Blade processes
● Powder Injection Molding
 PROCESSING OF NEW CERAMICS
SINTERING:

very much required to obtain maximum

possible strength and hardness.

● Bond individual grains into a solid

mass
● Increase density
● Reduce or eliminate porosity
 PROCESSING OF NEW CERAMICS
FINISHING:

Parts made of new ceramics sometimes

require finishing

● increase dimensional accuracy

● improve surface finish
● make minor changes in part
geometry
PROCESSING OF CERMET
Definition and applications

● It is composed of ceramic and

metallic powders.
● The matrix is metallic or ceramic.
● Its main use is wear and high
temperature applications
 Cemented carbides

● The is matrix metallic.

● The WC-Co
● Carbide powders and
metal binder are mixed
perfectly wet.
● Its resistance to wear
exceeds between 12
and 20 times that of fast
steel.
 Fabrication process

1. Preparation of
raw material
2. Compaction
3. Sintering
4. Secondary
operations
 REFERENCIAS
http://www.revistadeingenieria.com/content/una-introduccion-a-la-pulvimetalurgia-o-metalurgia-de-polvos

http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=e0dbdba2-aab0-41ec-b284-3b2ef061a4f7%40sessionmgr4008&bdata=Jmxh
bmc9ZXMmc2l0ZT1lZHMtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=fua&AN=98776817 (Documento PDF, base de datos biblioteca)

http://bibliotecadigital.univalle.edu.co/bitstream/10893/4720/1/CB-0441187.pdf (Documento PDF, base de datos biblioteca)

Fundamentos de Manufactura Moderna (Groover, 3ra edición)

Metalurgia General tomo 2 (F. R morral- Capítulo 25 metalurgia de polvos)