In the present paper the problems, connected with the formation of a powder material and its surface layers in conditions of chemical thermal treatment and impregnation with melt, combined with the use of mechanical loads at different process stages are examined. The new results of liquid phase influence on compaction of powder preforms, subjected to impregnation, are obtained. The presence of a liquid phase in preform surface layers can also be connected with the change of the materials chemical composition as the result of boronizing, siliconizing or other kinds of chemical thermal treatment

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The main problem in the production of bimetals (BMs) is the need to ensure adhesive interaction at the contact boundary of layers to prevent their peeling during operation. Hot forging of porous preforms (HFPP) provides the possibility of obtaining high-density powder BMs with a minimum amount of pores both in the volume of the layer material and at the layer interface to increase adhesion strength. Production of hot-forged powder BMs may involve mixing of working layer and substrate charge materials, which can lead to uncontrolled interface «blurring». This study uses the previously proposed method for pre-pressing of hard-to-deform material powder to produce «structural steel – high-speed steel» porous BM preforms. Two-layer cylindrical ∅20×30 mm samples were obtained in order to determine mechanical properties and conduct structural analysis. The BM base material was PK40 steel, and the working layer was atomized powder of M2 high-speed steel featuring satisfactory compressibility properties. The porous preforms of BM samples were pressed in a specially designed mold at a hydraulic press enabling two-sided pressing of two-layer powder moldings with predetermined distribution of layer densities and strengths. Cold-pressed BM preforms were sintered in protective environment, and then subjected to hot repressing using a laboratory drop hammer. Some preforms were examined as sintered. In addition, hot repressing of cold-pressed green preforms was performed. Satisfactory process strength of the working layer material is observed at its porosity (Pwl) in the range from 34 to 45 %. When Pwl> 45 %, powder is not molded, and at Pwl< 34 % the working layer delaminates. The maximum layer bonding strength and thermal shock resistance of BM provides the use of a flow route that involves preliminary sintering of cold-pressed preforms and subsequent hot forging. The optimum pressure of working layer pre-pressing is 145 MPa.