This article focuses on the significant fundamental powder characteristics, which include particle size, particle size distribution, particle shape, and powder purity, followed by an overview of general and individual powder production processes such as mechanical, chemical, electrochemical, atomizing, oxide reduction, and thermal decomposition processes. It also covers the consolidation of powders by pressing and sintering, as well as by high density methods. Further emphasis is provided on the distinguishing features of powders, their manufacturing processes, compacting processes, and consolidated part properties. In addition, a glossary of powder metallurgy terms is included.

Atomization is the dominant method for producing metal and prealloyed powders from aluminum, brass, iron, low-alloy steels, stainless steels, tool steels, superalloys, titanium alloys, and other alloys. The general types of atomization processes encompass a number of industrial and research methods. This article describes the key process variables and production factors for the industrial methods: two-fluid, centrifugal, vacuum or soluble-gas, and ultrasonic atomization. It also reviews the effect of atomization methods and process variables on key powder characteristics such as the average particle size, particle size distribution or screen analysis, particle shape, chemical composition, and microstructure.

Tribocorrosion is the subject dealing with complex, synergistic effects of chemical and mechanical conditions that cause wear. This article begins with a discussion on oxidative wear and corrosive wear, as well as quantitative measurements of corrosion, mechanical wear, and wear-corrosion effects. It illustrates the mechanism of corrosive-abrasive wear and discusses the factors affecting two-body wear. These factors include particle shape, size, density, and hardness; slurry velocity; slurry particle angle of attack; solids concentration in the slurry; hydrodynamic factors; corrosion products and the mass transfer of oxygen. The article describes slurry particle impingement tests and grinding tribocorrosion tests, as well as the factors to be considered for mitigating corrosive wear, such as materials selection, surface treatments, and environment modifications.

This article describes several factors, which help in determining the compressibility of metal powders: particle shape, density, composition, hardness, particle size, lubrication, and compacting. It discusses the uses of annealing metal powders and describes compressibility testing of the powders. The article details green strength and its mechanism and the variables affecting the strength. It also discusses two test methods for determining the green strength: the Rattler test and the transverse bend test.

This article focuses on the production of particulate reinforcements that are used in discontinuously reinforced metal-matrix composite (DRMMC) materials systems, their physical and materials properties, and the particle shape and overall morphology. The most common DRMMC materials systems used for aerospace structural applications are silicon carbide and boron carbide particulate reinforcement in an aluminum alloy matrix. The article concludes with information on reinforcement chemistry for designing DRMMC materials systems.