Abstract
The sintering kinetics of cold‐pressed molybdenum powder and molybdenum powder with nickel additions of 0.50–0.75 wt% have been investigated in the temperature range from 1100° to 1400°C. Diffusion coefficients calculated from the sintering kinetics indicate that molybdenum densifies by a grain boundary diffusion process in the range 1100° to 1400°C. The activation energy for the process is about 38 kcal/mole. The nickel additions, present on particle surfaces, enhanced the sintering rate such that it was possible to achieve densities in excess of 90% of theoretical after sintering for only 60 min. It is suggested that the mechanism for the nickel‐activated sintering of molybdenum is the increased diffusion rate of molybdenum through the grain boundary layer of nickel. An activation energy of 21 kcal/mole was determined for this process.

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