Improved high velocity cold copaction processing : polymer powder to high performance parts

• A uniaxial High-Velocity Compaction (HVC) process for polymer powder using a cylindrical, hardened steel die and a new technique with relaxation assist was tested with a focus on the compactibility characteristics and surface morphology of the compacted materials using various heights of relaxation assist device with different compacting profiles. Relaxation assist device was presented as a new technique to reduce springback, pull-out phenomenon and to improve the compaction process. The basic phenomena associated with HVC are explained and the general energy principle is introduced to explain pull-out phenomenon during the decompacting stage. In this study, polyamide-11 powders with different particle size distributions have been compacted with the application of different compaction profiles, e.g. different energies and velocities. It was found that the relative green density is influenced more by the pre-compacting (primary compaction step) than by the post-compacting (secondary compaction step). Experimental results for different compaction profiles were presented showing the effect of varying the opposite velocity during the decompacting stage and how to improve the homogeneous densification between the upper and lower surface and the evenness of the upper surface of the compacted powder bed by using relaxation assists, and the influences of the relaxation assist device on the process characteristics. It was found that the relaxation assist improves the compaction of the polymer powder by locking the powder bed in the compacted form. In addition, the relative times of the compacting stage, decompacting stage and the reorganisation of the particles can be controlled by altering the height of the relaxation assist. It was found that the high-velocity compaction process is an interruption process and that the delay times between the pressure waves can be reduced by increasing the height of the relaxation assist device. Furthermore, the first gross instantaneous springback and the total elastic springback are reduced. Two bonding strain gauges and a high-speed video camera system were used to investigate the springback phenomenon during the compaction process. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and image computer board Camera (IC-PCI Imaging Technology) were used to the study the morphological characteristics, the limit of plastic deformation and particle bonding by plastic flow at contact points, and pull-out phenomena.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi -- Polymerkemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences -- Polymer Chemistry (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

high-velocity compaction

powder polymers

polyamide-11

relaxation assist

compactibility

relative green density

morphology

pull-out

springback

Polymer chemistry

Polymerkemi

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

lic (ämneskategori)