SOME EXPERIMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF LOW-ALLOY STEEL BY POWDER METALLURGY

Abstract

The properties of alloy steels produced by powder-metallurgy techniques, as compared with those of conventional cast or wrought alloy steels, are reviewed. Factors affecting the production of alloy steels by powder-metallurgy techniques are enumerated, and the importance of adequate mechanical properties coupled with ease of processing is emphasized. The paper covers the preparation and testing of a wide range of low-alloy steels including copper steels, nickel steels, and complex steels; these being made up either from elemental powders or from pre-alloyed or complex powders. The influence of various alloying elements upon the mechanical properties of the steels produced is indicated, and the merits of the various compositions investigated, are discussed.

The response of powder-metallurgy alloy steels to quenching is next determined, and the effects of the elements carbon, manganese, nickel, copper, and molybdenum upon the hardcnability of alloy steels is summarized in the form of depth-hardening curves. The use of precipitation-hardening as a means of improving the properties of low-alloy steels is also investigated for a wide range of copper-containing steels. It is demonstrated that by employing this technique it is possible to obtain very significant improvements in properties, together with some processing advantages.