Prediction of Packing Density of Milled Powder Based on Packing Simulation and Particle Shape Analysis

Abstract

For precise property control of sintered products, it is important to know the powder characteristics, especially the packing density of the powder. In a previous work, we developed a packing simulation program that could make a packed bed of spherical particles having particle size distribution. In order to predict the packing density of the actual powder that consisted of nonspherical particles, we combined the packing simulation with a particle shape analysis. We investigated the influence of the particle size distribution of the powder on the packing density by executing the packing simulation based on particle size distributions of the actual milled chromium powders. In addition, the influence of the particle shape of the actual powder on the packing density was quantitatively analyzed. A prediction of the packing density of the milled powder was attempted with an analytical expression between the particle shape of the powder and the packing simulation. The predicted packing densities were in good agreement with the actual data.