Fundamental aspects of the compaction of metal powders

Abstract

The search for mathematical methods of predicting the increase in density of a metal powder during compaction has attracted numerous scientists, as it is both a technologically interesting and a scientifically challenging problem. This review outlines the way from simple curve fitting approaches to first attempts at constructing physical models which might form a rational basis for the improvement of powder compactibility or compaction procedures. The models described range from considerations of the deformation of a single spherical pore to reasoning in terms of the deformation behaviour of spherical particles in regular and - more recently - random packings. This paper will not deal with the way in which friction affects the distribution of pressure and density in a compact, nor with the effects of lubricants.