Abstract

Dimensional accuracy is one of the most important issues in the production of sintered parts. The iron-copper-carbon system is commonly used alloys in sintered structural parts production. The dimensional control of these alloys, however, is not easy because of their complex sintering behavior. This study is an effort to clarify the influence of common factors on dimensional change of Fe-Cu-C sintered structural parts. We determined the effect of such various parameters as chemical composition, particle diameter, compact density, sintering temperature and sintering time on dimensional changes. Consequently, we obtained a useful formula to predict the final dimension in function of these parameters. The effect of typical impurities in copper powder on the dimensional change of sintered parts has also been described.