Materials Science Forum, Vol.299, 214-221, 1999
The application of chaotic theory and fractal geometry to measure the effects of lubricants for uniaxial die compaction
The use of lubricants in die compaction is becoming an increasingly important issue in the P/M industry, both from an economic and environmental perspective. Until this time, the evaluation of lubricants has been limited to apparent density, tap density, and various elementary now tests. This paper examines the application of chaotic theory and fractal geometry to characterize the effects of lubricants on powder flowability. The lubricants that were investigated included zinc stearate, polyvinyl fluoride, Teflon(R), and Acrawax C (ethylene bisstearamide), ad-mixed with Hoeganaes A-1000C iron powder, This paper presents a completely novel technique to assess lubricant effects on powder flowability using the Aeroflow(R) produced by Amherst Process Instruments.