Experimental and numerical investigation of idealized consolidation - PartII: Cyclic compaction

Prior studies have shown that the cyclic application of pressure can be far more effective in consolidating composite compacts than monotonic compacti on. To study a simple system, pure aluminum and hardened steel rods were as sembled in arrays and consolidated under cyclic pressure at room temperatur e. Idealized experiments and finite element simulations showed similar resu lts for enhanced densification under cyclic pressure. Both inter-particle f riction and pressure amplitude were shown to have important and predictable effects. Inter-particle friction hinders monotonic consolidation but assis ts cyclic compaction. Consolidation is enhanced with increasing numbers of pressure cycles and pressure-cycle amplitude, while the maximum pressure is fixed. (C) 2000 Acta Metallurgica Inc. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.