Enhancing Mechanical Properties of Various Sintered Pellets with Nano-Additives

The impact of Fe, Co, Ni nano-additives on the density, microhardness and bending strength was investigated for several sintered pellets. Fe, Co, Ni nanopowders (NP) were prepared in the size range 67-94 nm using chemical metallurgy techniques. These powders (0.5 wt. %) were dispersed into three sets of micron powders: Co (+0.5 wt. % Co NP); Fe (+0.5 wt. % Fe NP); Fe+0.5wt. % C (+0.5 wt. % Co and 0.5 wt. % Ni NP). Mixtures were further mixed and processed using a magnetic mill and a turbulent mixer. Sintering was carried out using spark plasma sintering (SPS) as well as pressureless sintering (PS). The densities of sintered pellets were found to increase by 2.5-3% (SPS) and 3-5% (PS) in the presence of nano-additives; corresponding increases in microhardness and bending strength were determined to be 7.9-11.1% and 17.9-38.7%, respectively. These results are discussed in terms enhanced packing due to interparticle sliding and the filling of free spaces with the nanodisperse phase.