The effect of particle deformation on densification of 316L stainless steel under Micro-FAST

The importance of the effect of particle deformation under Micro-forming Fields Activated Sintering Technology (Micro-FAST) has been summarized in this paper. Micro-FAST is involved in the coupling of stress field, temperature field and electric field wherein these fields work simultaneously rather than independently. By using Gleeble-1500D thermal simulation instrument, the micro-cylinders with size of Φ1.0mm×1.0mm were formed from 316L stainless steel powders. It has been found that the maximum relative density of sintered samples reaches up to 99.2% close to the full density. Moreover, the microstructure of specimens has also been investigated. Especially, the metal powders have been simulated as globular plasticine particles in the structure to elucidate the deformation of particle under Micro-FAST