Experimental Analysis And Numerical Simulation Of Sintered Micro-Fluidic Devices

This paper investigates the use of numerical simulations to describe solid state diffusion of a sintering stage during a Powder Hot Embossing (PHE) process for micro-fluidic components. Finite element analysis based on a thermo-elasto-viscoplastic model was established to describe the densification process of a PHE stainless steel porous component during sintering. The corresponding parameters such as the bulk viscosity, shearing viscosity and sintering stress are identified from dilatometer experimental data. The numerical analyses, which were performed on a 3D micro-structured component, allowed comparison between the numerical predictions and experimental results of during a sintering stage. This comparison demonstrates that the FE simulation results are in better agreement with the experimental results at high temperatures.