RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN POWDER METALLURGY

Abstract

AN inaugural lecture to a newly constituted scientific and technological group would seem to have the advantage that, being the first one, the lecturer has unlimited scope from which to draw his material. However, after accepting the invitation of your Committee to talk to you today on developments in powder metallurgy since the last British symposium on this subject, I have realized that there are various factors which make this task not quite as straightforward as would at first appear. The last British Symposium on Powder Metallurgy was held under the auspices of our two Institutes almost exactly three years ago. Since then, there have been meetings of a similar nature in Austria, Italy, Eastern and Western Germany, and sundry meetings in the U.S.A. sponsored by the American metallurgical societies and the Metal Powder Association. There has also appeared a large and comprehensive report of an O.E.E.C. Mission to the U.S.A. on the powder-metallurgy industry in that country. Those of you who are directly associated with the industry will already be familiar with the recorded proceedings of these various meetings and will not wish to hear from me today a catalogue of what would be already well-known facts. Neither do I wish to anticipate in any detail the papers we are to hear later on today and at our meeting in March next, which will review developments in the fields of powder manufacture, compaction, and sintering. It seemed to me, therefore, that my best compromise was to confine myself to a few general observations on the progress of the industry and to express some personal thoughts on certain scientific aspects of this subject. The extent to which we may consider that the industry has progressed in the past three years will depend upon whether we consider the volume of production, the range of materials made, improvements mainly in the engineering aspects of the manufacturing processes, or the strengthening of the scientific principles on which the manufacturing processes are based. Taking a detached look at the industry from each of these viewpoints, I very much doubt whether the extent of the progress made in