2D- and 3D SIMS investigations on hot-pressed steel powder HS 6-5-3-8.

Processing of steel with powder metallurgical methods such as sintering or hot-pressing have proven to be a powerful tool for the production of industrial parts and for components in the automotive industry. Series of steel-powders (HS 6-5-3-8) produced by gas atomization has been hot-pressed in a graphite tube at temperatures from 820 degrees C to 1050 degrees C. The samples have been characterized with a Secondary Electron Microscope (SEM) due to their porosity and then investigated with 2D- and 3D- SIMS. The spatial distribution of the non-metallic impurities and the covering oxide layer of the single particles has been traced dependent to the pressing temperature. Powders pressed at temperatures higher than 880 degrees C exhibited different precipitation behavior of the impurities and an excessive loss of the covering oxide layer of the single powder particles.