Mechanical Properties of Sinter-Hardened steels

Sinter hardening of ferrous P/M materials results in parts with properties close to those of quenched and tempered steels with fewer secondary operations. Although improved sinter hardening grades of powders are becoming increasingly available, there is still a limited understanding of the relationship between properties and processing parameters. A study to assess the effect of a variation, in processing parameters on mechanical properties was performed using design of experiments methods. The effect of variations in graphite content and cooling rate on the mechanical properties of Ancorsteel 150HP with 2 w/o copper was investigated. Yield and tensile strength, sintered hardness, tempered hardness, and elongation were measured and the data fitted to a model for each property. The model was used to find possible interaction effects between the processing variables, how they influence mechanical properties and to optimize mechanical properties