Hot isostatic pressingFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThis articledoes notciteanyreferences or sources.Please helpimprove this articlebyadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(July 2008)

Hot isostatic pressing(HIP) is amanufacturingprocess used to reduce theporosityofmetalsand increase thedensityof manyceramicmaterials. This improves the material's mechanical properties and workability.The HIP process subjects a component to both elevated temperature andisostaticgas pressure in a high pressure containment vessel. The pressurizing gas most widely used isargon. Aninertgas is used, so that the material does not chemically react. The chamber is heated, causing thepressureinside the vessel to increase. Many systems use associated gas pumping to achieve the necessary pressure level. Pressure is applied to the material from all directions (hence the term "isostatic").For processingcastings, metal powders can also be turned to compact solids by this method, the inert gas is applied between 7,350psi (50.7MPa) and 45,000psi (310MPa), with 15,000psi (100MPa) being most common. Process soak temperatures range from 900F (482C) foraluminiumcastings to 2,400F (1,320C) fornickel-basedsuperalloys. When castings are treated with HIP, the simultaneous application of heat and pressure eliminates internal voids andmicroporositythrough a combination ofplastic deformation,creep, anddiffusion bonding; this process improves fatigue resistance of the component. Primary applications are the reduction ofmicroshrinkage, the consolidation of powder metals, ceramic composites and metalcladding. Hot isostatic pressing is also used as part of asintering(powder metallurgy) process and for fabrication ofmetal matrix composites.

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