Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

HYDROSTATIC PRESSING OF METAL POWDERS

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4169170· OSTI ID:4169170

Hydrostatic pressing was investigated as a method of fabricating long preforms made from uranium powder. A laboratory scale pressure vessel was constructed to evaluate the feasibility of this process. Various metal powders were loaded into flexible molds and subjected to pressure in an enclosed liquid. The high density of uranium caused the flexible molds to distort during filling and after pressing there was a tendency for the compact to adhere to the mold. Methods of minimizing these difficulties are suggested. Uranium powder, compacted in a plastic mold at 21 tsi had a density of 12.5 g/cc. During the course of the investigation, it was found that hydrostatic pressing of other metal powders presented advantages over conventional steel die methods, especially in the ability to press experimental shapes using economical equipment. Recommendations were made for further development work on both cold and hot hydrostatic pressing. (auth)

Research Organization:
Sylvania Electric Products, Inc. Atomic Energy Div., Bayside, N.Y.
NSA Number:
NSA-14-021960
OSTI ID:
4169170
Report Number(s):
SEP-180
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English