Dilatometry and differential scanning calorimetry analyses were used to study the sintering response of Al based powder mixture produced by ECKA Granules, designated as Alumix 431D. Sintering was carried out in atmospheres of pure nitrogen, nitrogen-hydrogen mixture (95 : 5 by volume) and argon. The atmosphere influences the amount of shrinkage but not the sintering mechanisms. These are similar for all gases; typical liquid phase sintering mechanisms seem to be mainly responsible for the sintering behaviour. As expected, however, nitrogen is the most effective sintering atmosphere in terms of densification. Metallographic examinations are in accord with the results of thermal analyses.

Alloys from austenitic and ferritic stainless steel found to be satisfactory for a great many applications. However, for applications that require higher levels of strength and hardness from the martensitic grades are frequently specified. Martensitic stainless steels offer significantly higher strengths but have to low ductility. For this reason for application where high levels of strength and a moderate ductility is required, the precipitation strengthened stainless steels are often considered. One of the most popular alloy of this kind of stainless steel is 17-4 PH. The aim of the present paper was to examined the influence the process parameters in conventional powder metallurgy processing on the mechanical properties of the 17-4 PH alloy in both as-sintered and heat treated conditions. In was found that temperature of aged is a very sensitive parameter for obtained high strength and acceptable ductility.

The general corrosion behavior of sintered 17-4 PH stainless steel processed under different processing conditions in dilute sulfuric acid solution at 25°C was studied by open-circuit potential measurement and potentiodynamic polarization technique. The corrosion resistance was evaluated based on electrochemical parameters, such as polarization resistance, corrosion potential, corrosion current density as well as corrosion rate. The results showed that the precipitation-hardening treatment could significantly improve the corrosion resistance of the sintered 17-4 PH stainless steel in studied environment. As far as the influence of aging temperature on corrosion behavior of the sintered 17-4 PH stainless steel is concerned, polarization resistance and corrosion rate are reduced with increasing aging temperature from 480 up to 500°C regardless of the temperature of solution treatment. It can be concluded that the highest corrosion resistance in 0.5 M H 2 SO 4 solution exhibits 17-4 PH after solution treatment at 1040°C followed by aging at 480°C.

The sinter-bonding method was used to produce AISI 316L/17-4 PH components by conventional powder metallurgy technology. The production process consisted of following steps: the powder layering, copressing and co-sintering processes. The co-sintering process was carried out at different sintering temperatures (1200, 1250 and 1300°C), and times (60, 90 and 120 min) in hydrogen atmosphere. The effect of co-pressing and co-sintering conditions on the ability to create a permanent connection between AISI 316L and 17-4 PH stainless steels was investigated. The densification, dimensional change and microstructural evolution of sintered AISI 316L/17-4 PH components were studied. The increase in co-pressing pressure as well as using of the longer time and the higher temperature of co-sintering process contributed to increase in AISI 316L/17-4 PH component density. The dilatometric study as well as dimensional changes measurements revealed an appropriate sintering compatibility for AISI 316L and 17-4PH steels when the sintering process was carried out at the temperature of 1200°C for time ranging from 60 to 120 min and at 1250°C for shorter sintering times. The sintering at temperature of 1300°C (regardless of other manufacturing conditions) led to a significant deviation from the cylindrical shape of samples, as a result of difference of shrinkage of AISI 316L and 17-4 PH steels. Microstructural study indicated that AISI 316L and 17-4 PH steels creates a good diffusion joint (without any cracks and warpage) during the hightemperature sintering process. Nickel diffusion takes place from the AISI 316L to 17-4 PH stainless steel, and copper and molybdenum diffuse in opposite direction of nickel diffusion. It is possible to achieve a solid connection between two materials exhibiting difference in chemical composition by using sinter-bonding and conventional powder metallurgy technology.

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