Determination of the physical and mechanical properties of iron-based powder materials produced by microwave sintering

Microwave energy is highly efficient for heating and processing different materials. In recent years, this type of heat transfer has been used in sintering process. Rapid and highly efficient heating, time and energy saving, and improved properties of sintered materials are advantages of microwave sintering. In this paper, Fe and Fe-Cu powder compact samples (cylindrical and bone shapes) are sintered both in microwave and electrical tube furnaces. The microwave generator has 2.45 GHz frequency and 1 KW power. Times are selected in the range of 5–25 min for microwave sintering and 5–40 min for electrical heating. The sintering temperature is set at 1120°C. Samples are sintered in the reducing atmosphere of 95% N₂ + 5% H₂ mixture. The density, hardness, and tensile strength of the samples are measured. The results are compared. The results show that the microwave-sintered materials have a finer microstructure. The microwave-sintered materials have 6–8% higher density, 5–10 HV5 higher hardness, and about 10% higher tensile strength than conventionally sintered materials.