Abstract
The influence of thin oxide films, in the range 200–1200Å thick, on the mechanical properties of sintered iron, copper, and nickel powder compacts has been investigated. As the thickness of the oxide film on the metal powders increased, the properties studied, namely, densification parameter, hardness, and tensile strength improved and attained a maximum at a critical oxide-film thickness, the value of which was ∼ 625 Å for iron and nickel and ∼ 500 Å for copper. Further increase in thickness to ∼ 1200 Å led to a gradual decline in the properties. The improvement in the properties obtained with powders having the optimum oxide thickness was independent of the sintering atmosphere. A probable explanation in terms of activated sintering is given.
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