Simulation of the stress-assisted densification behavior of a powder compact: Effect of constitutive laws

The densification of powders with linear and nonlinear viscous behavior (Scherer and Riedel models) and with power-law-deformation (Khun-McMeeking) behavior was studied under hot pressing and sintering forging conditions. Several numerical experiments, designated cases in this work, were performed to study the effect of (i) the uniaxial stress exerted by the piston and (ii) the rate of the uniaxial stress. The stress state was calculated using the finite-element program ANSYS for each case. Considering the mesoscopic behavior of the powders, densification rates were obtained. The similarities and differences between predictions from the three constitutive models are highlighted. The relationship between the constitutive behavior and the most effective stress state is one of the focuses of this study. For example, we show that under constant stress loading, hot pressing more effectively promotes densification than sinter forging for constitutive behaviors that do not follow the power-law creep. In general, as expected, the increase of uniaxial applied stress and piston velocity favored densification. However, the increase in densification depends strongly on the constitutive law.