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The basic differences between masses of loose or pressureless compacted metal powders and those which are compacted under pressure are discussed.

A report of the Fifth Plansee Seminar—held in Reutte, Tyrol, Austria, in June 1964—whose topic of discussion was “Metals for the Space Age.”

The influence exerted by various factors (particle size, particle size distribution, ultrafine powder addition, sintering temperature, etc.) on the linear shrinkage ratio during sintering was examined. Electrolytic, atomized, and ultrafine copper powders, as well as electrolytic iron powder, were used.

The radial shrinkage during sintering of cylindrical compacts and loose aggregates of copper powder was measured. It was found to be nonuniform from top to bottom of the samples and to depend upon the method of supporting them. The nonuniformity is due to the effect of gravity forces during sintering. Since gravity has an effect in sintering without externally applied stresses, no sharp dividing line can be drawn between conventional sintering and hot pressing.

The relative shrinkage in the radial and in the axial directions of both conventionally pressed copper powder compacts and of loose copper powder aggregates has been determined. Irregular-shaped electrolytic copper powder and flake copper powder were used. The structures of the green and of the sintered compacts and aggregates were examined metallographically. The results led to the tentative conclusion that the theories previously advanced to explain the differences in the axial and radial shrinkage of compacts and aggregates are not correct. The pores of green and sintered compacts of irregular copper powder are not necessarily disc- or lens-shaped, but rather equiaxed, and the observed difference in shrinkage cannot be attributed to the shape of the pores. On the other hand, the ratio of axial to radial shrinkage of irregular-shaped powder and of flake powder aggregates is nearly the same, in spite of the fact that the pores in the flake powder aggregates are much larger in the radial than in the axial direction. The possibility that forces other than surface-tension forces have an influence upon shrinkage behaviour is discussed.

The shrinkage behaviour of compacts from irregular copper powder during the initial stages of sintering has been determined by a dilatometric method. The effects of compacting pressure and of external load during sintering at a constant heating rate of 3°C/min upon shrinkage were observed. The residual stresses present on the surface of compacts heated at the same rate to temperatures of 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600°C were also measured. It was observed that shrinkage starts at temperatures where considerable residual stresses in the surface of the compacts are still present, and that this temperature also depends upon the external stress applied during sintering. Residual and externally applied stresses complement each other in shifting the temperature of start of shrinkage to lower values with increasing stress. It is concluded that, in the low-temperature range up to 400°C, residual and externally applied stresses, rather than surface-tension forces, cause shrinkage.