Characteristics of FeCuAl Powder Compacts Sintered at Different Schedules

This paper presents the characteristics of FeCuAl powder compacts formed through uniaxial die compaction process and sintered at different schedules. Elemental iron, copper, and aluminum powders were blended mechanically and the blended powder mass was subsequently compacted at 30°C (cold compaction) and 150°C (warm compaction). The defect-free green compacts were then sintered at argon gas fired furnace at a heating/cooling rate of 10°C/min by varying the sintering time and temperature. The sintered samples were characterized for their physical, electrical, and mechanical properties and their microstructures were evaluated. The results revealed that higher relative density was obtained when the samples were sintered at 500ºC for 30 minutes. However, stronger products were generated by sintering the samples at 700ºC for 90 minutes