Densification Behavior of Metal Powder Under Uniaxial Cold Compaction

Metal powder compaction is a quite important process in Powder Metallurgy (PM) industry and it is widely applied in the manufacturing of key components in different fields. During metal powder compaction, the solid volume fraction changes and many mechanical characteristics become different. The Finite Element simulation provides a flexible and efficient approach for the researches of this process and its complicated mechanical behaviors. In this paper, several 2D finite element spherical powder compaction models are generated. Different particle arrangements are build up and different friction coefficients are set to the inter-particle contacts and die wall contact for a certain arrangement. The Von Mises yield surface with isotropic hardening plasticity model is applied in the simulation and the displacement controlled load is used to compress the structure up to 25% of die height. Results show that the die wall friction increases compaction pressure but inter-particle friction has negligible effect.