A novel approach to reach full density in powder metallurgy (PM) components is demonstrated in this work. Water-atomised Moprealloyed steel powder is utilised for manufacturing cylindrical and gear samples through double pressing and double sintering (DPDS) process route. The effect of sample geometry and powder size fraction on densification is investigated and it is found that the DPDS route enables a density level of > 95% which is sufficient to eliminate the surface open pores. Reaching such high density is necessary, in order to perform capsule-free hot isostatic pressing (HIP). After HIP, full densification is achieved for the cylindrical samples and only near full density is realised for the gears resulting in neutral zone formation due to the density gradient. In order to predict the densification behaviour during the compaction, FEM simulations considering the gear geometry are performed for both the pressing stages and HIP. The simulation predicted a similar densification behaviour with the formation of the neutral zone. The proposed DPDS route with capsule-free HIP in combination with FEM simulation is demonstrated as a potential route for manufacturing full-density PM steel components, e.g. gears, suitable for high-performance applications.
The manufacturing of machine components with sustainable and innovative methods is an interesting topic for research. Gears are some components which have complexity in both design and production technology. Therefore applying innovative methods on gear manufacturing can be of interest to industry. One of the most promising production methods for gear wheels is Gear Rolling. The gear wheel is formed during a certain rolling process from a cylindrical blank into the final designed shape. The process of gear rolling with rotational gears is progressing by running several rolling cycles with one, or two dies in contact with a work-piece. A specified rotational speed and radial feed speed is applied to the dies in order to form the required geometry on the blank. In this paper, the authors have simulated the process with the finite element code, DEFORM 3D. Especially the effects of reversal cycles on final gear wheel geometry have been evaluated from the simulations. Different settings for the rotation direction of the dies have been used and the effects are evaluated with specific quality criteria.
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