Thermomechanism of neck formation and growth in the electrical discharge compaction process for powdered metals

Abstract

The electrical discharge compaction (EDC) process requires electrical, physical, and mathematical modeling and metallurgical investigations to gain insight into the parameters which govern the mechanism of consolidation. The process is affected by heat dissipation, current distribution, temperature distribution, fast sintering, and the influence of the rate of cooling on the microstructure of the material. In this paper, the aim is to gain a better understanding of the value and thermomechanism of neck formation and growth in the EDC process for powdered metals, which is expected to improve industrial applications of the process. The rate and pattern of heat generation throughout the process investigated using a remote pyrometric technique are also discussed.