Application of electromagnetic processing for development of high-performance sintered powder metal parts

Electromagnetic processing was used to study the effects of electro-magneto forming on the dimensional control and thermal stability of sintered powder metal (PM) parts. The investigation was carried out on sinter-hardened, low chromium-molybdenum bainitic steel. The results show an increase in the microhardness of about 14% for the electromagnetic processed parts compared to the as-sintered parts. This was attributed to the 2% increase in the density, 17% and 29% reduction in the volume fraction of porosity and width of the bainitic lath, respectively, due to the electromagnetic processing. Dimensional characterization was carried out using a vertically aligned push-rod dilatometer. After four thermal cycles of heating and cooling, at a controlled rate of 5 °C/min to 1000 °C, the electromagnetic processed parts exhibited reduced dimensional change of about 44% lower than for the as-sintered parts. This is significantly important for applications that demand high dimensional tolerance and performance, especially at elevated temperatures.