Abstract
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This paper describes a study of the effects of particle size on the porosity, microstructure, and mechanical properties of compacts fabricated under uniaxial compression with a rectangular die. Four ranges of different particle sizes were investigated to determine the dependence of fracture toughness; porosity and strength of the compacts on particle size. Thermal shock effects on the compacts were also investigated by determining the number of cycles to failure, when the compacts were cold shocked at four different temperatures. Compacts made from powders of larger particle size tended to have larger number of cycles to failure than those made of finer particle sizes. Contrary to this, compacts made from smaller particles size exhibited higher fracture toughness compared to those made from larger particle size.