Abstract
The possible causes for shape changes of Distaloy AE powder compacts during sintering are investigated. Conventional test bars have been sintered either on a flat base or on two far apart supports. The first tests showed the influence of green density on the shrinkage. A significant anisotropy is observed for the highest green densities, i.e. the axial shrinkage in the pressing direction is higher than the shrinkage in transverse directions. In the second tests, the test bars bent owing to gravity induced stresses. Through a simple analytical model, the average effective viscosity of the material has been estimated from the measured deformation. This value is compared with the viscosities directly measured during dilatometric tests with axial loading. The interest of these results for predicting shape changes during sintering of industrial parts is finally discussed.
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