Phosphorus in Sintered Steels: Effect of Phosphorus Content and P Carrier in Sintered Steel Fe-C-P

Phosphorus as an alloy element is quite common in powder metallurgy, the contents industrially used being markedly higher than those present in wrought steels. In this study, the influence of phosphorus addition through different P carriers was investigated. PM steels of the type Fe-0.7%C-x%P (x = 0.0 … 0.8%) were manufactured by pressing and sintering in H2. It showed that Fe3P is the best phosphorus carrier, resulting in fine and regular microstructure and in high impact energy data at 0.3 … 0.45%P while red P and also Fe2P showed a tendency to agglomeration, with resulting secondary porosity. At high P levels the mechanical properties tend to drop, for the tensile strength at P > 0.60%P while for the impact energy the threshold is 0.45%P. The dimensional behaviour of Fe-C-P can be related to PM aluminium alloys, expansion by transient liquid phase being followed by shrinkage by persistent liquid phase, at least at higher temperatures. In contrast to the dimensional behaviour, degassing and reduction is hardly affected by the phosphorus content.