Densification simulation of compacted Al powders using multi-particle finite element method

The powder compaction simulations were performed to demonstrate deformation behavior of particles and estimate the effect of different punch speeds and particle diameters on the relative density of powder by a multi-particle finite element model(MPFEM). Individual particle discretized with a finite element mesh allows for a full description of the contact mechanics. In order to verify the reliability of compaction simulation by MPFEM, the compaction tests of porous aluminum with average particle size of 20 μm and 3 μm were performed at different ram speeds of 5, 15, 30 and 60 mm/min by MTS servo-hydraulic tester. The results show that the slow ram speed is of great advantage for powder densification in low compaction force due to sufficient particle rearrangement and compaction force increases with decrease in average particle size of aluminum.