Investigation of the microstructure and mechanical properties of in-situ copper infiltrated P/M parts

The current study focuses on a novel approach to replace the multi-step copper infiltration process commonly used as a final manufacturing stage in P/M components. In the proposed process, a thin layer of copper is deposited on the surface of highly pure iron powder (~98.5% Fe) by means of an electroless process using copper sulfate as the source of copper ions. The coated iron powder is thoroughly dried after the copper deposition, pressed in the shape of a disc and sintered at 1100 oC. The hardness of the disc was measured and its microstructure was characterized after polishing and etching to confirm the in-situ copper infiltration. A separate disc was similarly produced using uncoated iron powder to quantify the effect of the in-situ copper infiltration. The results revealed that the hardness of the disc produced using copper coated iron powder increased and the microstructure confirmed the complete infiltration of copper.

کلیدواژه ها:

Iron powder ، Copper infiltration ، Hardness ، In-situ