Abstract
This paper deals with the sintering mechanism of iron powder compacts containing nickel. Nickel-coated iron powder by electroless plating and iron powder mixed with carbonyl nickel powder are used. The shrinkage during sintering is examined using the theory of liquid phase sintering. In the case of coated powder, the circumferential diffusion of iron through the nickel layer of constant thickness is the rate controlling step, and the shrinkage is independent of nickel content. In the case of mixed powder, the thickness of diffusion layer is dependent on nickel content, and the shrinkage is also dependent on nickel content. The activation energy for the sintering process is about 48, 000cal/mole.
