Assessment of porosity and structure of powder materials based on mechanically activated Ni-Fe-NaCl charges

Electron-probe microanalysis methods were used to study the formation of structure and the distribution of various components in high-porosity powder materials during heat treatment of compacts based on Ni-Fe-NaCl charges mechanically activated in fluid media. We confirmed the hypothesis that agglomerates are formed during mechanical activation of Ni-and Fe-based composite-particle charges in fluid media. A causal relationship was established between formation of structure in compacts and structure of the high-porosity powder material after heat treatment. A technique was proposed for determining the local porosity of the sintered high-porosity powder material. The structure of the high-porosity powder material was found to consist of large pores surrounded by powder material containing pores of smaller diameter.