Investigation of pressing and sintering processes of CP-Ti powder made by Armstrong process

This work used in-situ and ex-situ techniques to investigate the pressing and sintering processes of commercially pure (CP) Ti powder made by the Armstrong process. The objective is to simulate the actual manufacturing process of near net shape Ti components. Ti powders were uniaxially pre-pressed at designated pressures up to 100 ksi to form disk samples with different theoretical densities. Compression tests were performed in an SEM at different temperatures to obtain the mechanical properties and deformation behavior of these samples. Ex-situ technique was used to track the powder deformation process of disk samples from low pressure to high pressure. In-situ sintering was also performed in an SEM to record the morphology change of the porosities on the sample surface during the sintering process. The results will provide valuable information for optimizing the manufacturing process of high-density near net shape Ti components.