Abstract
In order to obtain high quality products in powder metallurgy, it is important to control and understand the densification behavior of metal powders. The effect of the characters of powders on the compaction behavior was studied in this study by using three types of powders produced by the gas atomization, the centrifugal atomization and the twin roll-pulverization. The shape of the powders was a major factor in the apparent or tap density, and the deformation resistance of the matrix of the powders was a major factor in compactibility. Han's yield function (eq.2) for metal powders was simplified from the relationship based on the experimental results of copper powders. In spite of some assumptions, the calculated compaction curves using a new yield functionw was in accordance with the experimental results.