Plasma Pressure Compaction of Tungsten Powders

Compacts of tungsten powders were consolidated by Plasma Pressure Compaction (P 2 C), an electric discharge technique. The powders were a variety of commercially available grades ranging in average particle size from submicron to 12 microns. Following consolidation, the density of the compacts was measured, and the microstructure examined. Results revealed the effect of powder size, pulsed current treatment, final hold temperature, and applied pressure on final part density and microstructure development. Most important to the purpose of the study, it was found that the short cycle time of P 2 C did not suppress grain growth in the compacts of submicron powder. Thus, grain growth remained a consequence of full densification. Implications of these results for the development of ultra fine-grained microstructures using P 2 C are discussed.