A Model Investigation of the Austenite Formation during Sintering of Compacts Prepared from Premixed with Graphite Iron Powders

摘要

Sintered ferrous components produced by Powder Metallurgy (PM) method emerged as candidates for replacing these manufactured by casting and forging. The present research deals with the theory of the kinetics of the graphite dissolution and the processes of iron matrix saturation with carbon during sintering of compacts prepared from premixed with graphite iron powder. Special attention is paid to the conditions governing the dissolution process and its mathematical description from the thermodynamic and phase transformation kinetics points of view. The influence of the generated heat due to the phase transformations undergone by the phases in the sinter during the time of sintering is also included in the model. Some preliminary results are shown and discussed.