**4. Conclusion**

This chapter has mainly focused on the unique advantages of using Magnetic Pulse Compaction as part of commercial material production line. Through most of the observed results, it can be said that this process adds special value to materials and alloys in properties like densification, shrinkage and other microstructural aspects. While MPC is being employed, high initial and final density, and reduced shrinkage have been observed in most of our studies mentioned throughout this chapter. This has resulted in illustrating better microstructural arrangement in many ways. The unique feature of this process also highlights the fact that compaction is performed within fraction of a second with options of varying the pressures. The process can be carried out both at room and elevated temperatures, making it possible to employ this method on a wide range of materials.

A number of applications have already been discussed in this chapter. There are however, more fields of application that MPC can cover. For example, even transmission ring gear of AGMA 9 (American Gear Manufacturers Association) rating for automotive powertrain applications has recently found interest in using MPC. The objectives of these efforts are to replace the cast and machined gear with a lower cost net shape PM gear and to increase the power density through enhanced material properties. In addition, a large number of industrial drilling parts, made of hard materials like WC-Co or WC-Ni-Co, such as drill bits, go through an initial phase of MPC. Initial development efforts have focused on achieving the target density; developing tooling that can survive the dynamic compaction conditions, and producing the desired geometry. With a number of applications now almost ready for commercial implementation, new applications are continuously being sought and developed for the MPC process.

#### **5. References**

174 Sintering of Ceramics – New Emerging Techniques

C system has a ternary eutectic at ~1275OC. The second stage is that Co coated WC particles agglomerate into the Co liquid matrix; this happens faster for the fine-grained WC. The next stage is the forming of a network of agglomerates. The capillary forces close the pores and contract the sample towards an equidimensional shape in competition with the gravitational force, which forces the WC particles to sediment vertically. The last stage is the slight growth of the original WC grains from the tungsten and carbon dissolved in the cobalt.

Fig. 12. Changes in microstructure of sintered samples (a) WC-7.5wt%Co at 1 GPa, (b) WC-

This chapter has mainly focused on the unique advantages of using Magnetic Pulse Compaction as part of commercial material production line. Through most of the observed results, it can be said that this process adds special value to materials and alloys in properties like densification, shrinkage and other microstructural aspects. While MPC is being employed, high initial and final density, and reduced shrinkage have been observed in most of our studies mentioned throughout this chapter. This has resulted in illustrating better microstructural arrangement in many ways. The unique feature of this process also highlights the fact that compaction is performed within fraction of a second with options of

7.5wt%Co at 3 GPa, (c) WC-12wt%Co at 1 GPa and (d) WC-12wt%Co at 3 GPa.

**4. Conclusion** 


**Part 2** 

**Bio-Ceramics** 

