An examination into the welding zone in the combination of iron (Fe) based powder metal (P/M) parts through various welding methods

Within the context of developing technology and industrial structure, cost constitutes one of the key factors for firms to survive under competitive market pressures. Although production expands; immense use of materials, high level of energy consumption and labor costs result in increasing shares of the price factor. Therefore Powder Metallurgy (P/M) is able to combine complex parts into ultimate size, yielding considerable economic benefits thanks to its capacity to compact materials into a shape All combining processes can also be applied to the parts fabricated using the P/M process. The selection of welding method for combining PM parts that are used in industry depends on the density of the powder metal parts and has a direct impact upon the strength of the PM parts.The present thesis begins with providing general information regarding the P/M process and its areas of use. It further discusses powders used in producing iron-composite Metal Powder parts, their properties, production methods and production phases applied during the production of PM parts. After discussing the weldability of PM parts and the welding methods, the study then passes on to treat the case of using TIG, MIG and coated electrode arc welding techniques. Examining hardness values, HAZ and the welding zone, the pulling experiment has been conducted. Then comparisons are done with the results obtained.Keywords: Powder Metallurgy, TIG Welding, MIG Welding, Arc Welding