Carbon Powder as Additive in Near-Net-Shaping of Mechanical Components through Warm Forming Route

This paper presents the study of carbon powder as additive in near-net-shaping of mechanical components through warm forming route. Three design parameters, i.e., carbon content (wt %), forming temperature, and sintering schedule were investigated. Iron powder ASC 100.29 was mechanically mixed with different wt% of carbon and copper powder for 30 minutes to prepare the feedstock. Green compacts were then formed through uni-axial die compaction process at 30°C and 180oC. The defect-free green compacts were then sintered at 1000oC in an argon gas fired furnace at a heating/cooling rate of 5oC/minute for 30, 60, and 90 minutes, respectively. The green samples as well the sintered products were characterized through relative density measurement, radial shrinkage, and microstructure evaluation. The results revealed that excessive carbon content contributed adverse effect to the final quality of the products.