Mechanical alloying of FeAl intermetallic powder for metal injection moulding process

Authors: H. X. Song,Y.X.Wu, S. Yuan, Q. M. Gong, S.-J. Park, Randall M. German

Source: Powder Metallurgy

Publisher: Maney Publishing

Abstract:

The Fe-48 at.-%Al powder used for powder injection moulding (PIM) was prepared by mechanical alloying in a high energy planetary ball mill and subsequent vacuum annealing. The effects of stearic acid (SA) as the process control agent on powder characteristics were investigated using X-ray diffractometer, laser particle size analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The dependence of solvent debinding efficiency of PIMfeedstock on the powder characteristics was also studied. The results indicate that a low SA content for ball milling helps to prepare near spherical, coarse powder particles that exhibit good solvent debinding efficiency. On the contrary, a high SA content leads to thin layered, small particles with poor PIMsolvent debinding efficiency. An intermediate SA content such as 1 wt-% makes the ball milled powder combine the advantageous characteristics for PIMprocess.

Document Type:

DOI: 10.1179/174329009X434275

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