Pressed-and-Sintered Ferrous Powder Metallurgy Parts

Iron powders are the most widely used powder metallurgy (P/M) material for structural parts. This article reviews low to medium density iron and low-alloy steel parts produced by the pressing and sintering technology. It explains different powder production methods, including Hoeganaes process, Pyron process, atomization of liquid metal, thermal decomposition and the electrodeposition process for carbonyl and electrolytic iron powders. It describes the types of compaction and sintering, explaining their effects of processing with designations. Further, the article deals with the mechanical and physical properties of ferrous P/M materials, which may depend on certain factors, namely microstructure, porosity, density, infiltration, re-pressing, chemical composition, and heat treatment.