ABSTRACT
The effect of shear and tensile components on powder compacts containing a high volume fraction of hard particles is investigated. The compacts are formed of a soft matrix powder of pure aluminum with W2C hard particles. Simple compression tests with dilatation measurement and diametral compression tests are performed. Different volume fractions of hard particles (0 to 60%), porosity content (0 to 0.25) and temperatures (room temperature and 450°C) are studied. It is shown that the measured tensile strength does not depend on the hard phase volume fraction. A simple model is proposed relating the tensile strength to the total contact area formed plastically between soft particles during the compaction stage. The total area is calculated as a function of the fraction number, particle coordination number, and average contact area of soft particles.
