Sintering study of Ti6Al4V powders with different particle sizes and their mechanical properties

Ti6Al4V powders with three different particle size distributions(0–20, 20–45, and 45–75 μm) were used to evaluate the effect of the particle size distribution on the solid-state sintering and their mechanical properties. The sintering kinetics was determined by dilatometry at temperatures from 900 to 1260°C. The mechanical properties of the sintered samples were evaluated by microhardness and compression tests. The sintering kinetics indicated that the predominant mechanism depends on the relative density irrespective of the particle size used. The mechanical properties of the sintered samples are adversely affected by increasing pore volume fraction. The elastic Young's modulus and yield stress follow a power law function of the relative density. The fracture behavior after compression is linked to the neck size developed during sintering, exhibiting two different mechanisms of failure: interparticle neck breaking and intergranular cracking in samples with relative densities below and above of 90%, respectively. The main conclusion is that relative density is responsible for the kinetics, mechanical properties, and failure behavior of Ti6 Al4 V powders.

Effect of initial microstructure on austenite formation kinetics in high-strength experimental microalloyed steels

Austenite formation kinetics in two high-strength experimental microalloyed steels with different initial microstructures comprising bainite-martensite and ferrite-martensite/austenite microconstituents was studied during continuous heating by dilatometric analysis. Austenite formation occurred in two steps： （1） carbide dissolution and precipitation and （2） transformation of residual ferrite to austenite. Dilatometric analysis was used to determine the critical temperatures of austenite formation and continuous heating transformation diagrams for heating rates ranging from 0.03°C.s^-1 to 0.67°C.s^-1. The austenite volume fraction was fitted using the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov equation to determine the kinetic parameters k and n as functions of the heating rate. Both n and k parameters increased with increasing heat- ing rate, which suggests an increase in the nucleation and growth rates of austenite. The activation energy of austenite formation was determined by the Kissinger method. Two activation energies were associated with each of the two austenite formation steps. In the first step, the austenite growth rate was controlled by carbon diffusion from carbide dissolution and precipitation; in the second step, it was controlled by the dissolution of residual ferrite to austenite.