During a powder metallurgy process such as sintering, the primary role played by the atmosphere in furnace is to prevent an excessive oxidation of powder compacts in case of the formation of oxides as residuals on powder surfaces. In particular, the adjustment of furnace atmosphere is the key to eliminate the phenomenon “decarburization” likely to occur in carbon-containing compacts. A continuous belt furnace was used to stabilize the potentials of carbon and oxygen in zones divided by sintering, delubrication, and cooling. Chromium and manganese, which are sensitive to oxygen, were added to improve mechanical properties in a cost-effective way. Powders of steel containing chromium were sintered in an atmosphere composed of CO, O₂, and H₂. The effects of atmosphere, lubricant, and graphite on oxidation (or reduction) and decarburization (or carburization) were investigated. Superior quality was achieved under the control of delubrication atmosphere. It is indicated that in a protective atmosphere, the chemical reactions occurring at various stages took remarkable effect on the quality of sintered compact. The potentials of oxygen and carbon in a continuous belt furnace were monitored and analyzed using an on-line thermal measuring unit consisting of thermocouple, oxygen probe, and carbon monoxide sensor. The avoidance of oxidation and decarburization promises desired microstructure and carbon content and satisfactory properties through the adjustment of technical parameters, e.g., the composition of gases in delubrication and various sintering zones, the rate of gas inlet, and cooling rate.

在诸如烧结之类的粉末冶金过程中，炉内气氛所起的主要作用是防止在粉末表面上形成残留氧化物的情况下防止粉末压块的过度氧化。尤其是，调整炉内气氛是消除含碳压块中可能发生的“脱碳”现象的关键。使用连续带式炉来稳定通过烧结，脱脂和冷却划分的区域中碳和氧的电势。添加了对氧气敏感的铬和锰，以经济有效的方式改善了机械性能。在由CO，O ₂和H ₂组成的气氛中烧结含铬的钢粉。研究了气氛，润滑剂和石墨对氧化（或还原）和脱碳（或渗碳）的影响。在脱脂气氛的控制下获得了卓越的质量。结果表明，在保护性气氛中，各个阶段发生的化学反应对烧结体的质量产生了显着影响。使用由热电偶，氧气探头和一氧化碳传感器组成的在线热测量单元，对连续带式炉中的氧气和碳势进行监测和分析。避免氧化和脱碳可通过调整技术参数来保证所需的微观结构和碳含量以及令人满意的性能，例如，在脱脂和各个烧结区中的气体组成，进气速率，