Process Specification for Powder Metallurgy Component Fabrication to Targeted Features and Quality: An Inverse Problem

9813207 German The research will involve powder metallurgy process and its use in the fabrication of engineering shapes for applications ranging from automobiles to power tools. This study will determine the features needed to computer design the tooling, select the powder and alloy, and process the compacted metal powders into high performance structures that avoid expensive machining steps. To accomplish this task, the research plan consists of the integration of three major tasks: (1) powder metallurgy processing; (2) density and quality monitoring via ultrasonic methods; and (3) computer-based analysis and design. This will be accomplished by the compaction of steel powders to determine the dimensional and density change associated with the applied pressure and subsequent heat treatments. Gradients in the fabrication processes will be isolated though these experiments using diagnostic sensors and computer analysis. The elimination of these gradients will improve product quality, improve precision, and lower production and development costs. This research will generate computer programs that embed process rules into the design phase to improve on the economies of the process and improve product quality.