Finite element modelling of ultrasonic assisted hot pressing of metal powder

Ultrasonication has widely been used in many industries to develop advanced materials, improve materials behaviors, and enhance mechanical strength to name a few. The present investigation aims to accelerate the densification mechanisms during the hot-pressing process of Ti-6Al-4 V powder through high power ultrasonication. A computational study has been developed and implemented to simulate the consolidation behavior, then compared with the experimental data to ensure the simulation accuracy. The constitutive equations, encompassing thermoplastic and power-law creep models, were implemented in the simulation as UMAT and CREEP subroutines. Finally, the simulation results in densification curves and density distribution have been compared with the results of experimental tests. The comparison of the simulation and experimental results shows a maximum error of 6.8 and 2.8% in predicting the densification behavior of hot pressing without and with ultrasonication, respectively. The results show the good accuracy of the simulation in predicting final relative density and density distribution with ultrasonic vibrations.