[T7] AM Sinter Based Technologies

[16P-T7-02] In-situ Synchrotron X-ray CT Observations for the Liquid Phase Sintering of Aluminum Powder Using Al-Cu Eutectic Alloy Agent

*E. Matsumoto¹, R. Kusunoki¹, A. Suzuki¹, N. Takata¹, M. Kobashi¹, Y. Ozaki², M. Hoshino³, M. Uesugi³ (1.Nagoya University, Japan, 2.Kyushu University, Japan, 3.JASRI, Japan)

Keywords:Synchrotron X-ray CT, liquid phase sintering, Al powder

The sintering of aluminum (Al) powder is important for sintering-based additive manufacturing including binder jetting but is difficult because of the dense aluminum oxide film on the powder surface. Therefore, we focused on liquid-phase sintering of Al powder with the addition of Al-based eutectic alloy agents with low melting temperatures as a sintering aid. Although a high relative density of over 97% has been achieved, the sintering behavior of liquid-phase sintering has not yet been clarified because of the rapid sintering progress. In this study, the sintering sequence of Al powder assisted by Al-Cu eutectic alloy powder was observed in situ using synchrotron radiation X-ray computed tomography (CT). As a result, the small pores (<15 μm) in the green compact disappeared at the early stage of sintering, and large pores (>30 μm) were generated. Then, the large pores gradually disappeared with sintering time.