Sintered Metal

["PatBraden" <pbraden@domain.elided>]

Somewhere in my house I have a sintered-metal nutcracker from Alfa, dating
from the early 1980s. The unit is made up of two identical castings which
interlock to make the nutcracker. The handles are quite thin, and I thought
they might break under heavy presssure. I couldn't squeeze them hard enough
to damage them (and I was younger then, too). I'm not a metalurgist, but I
suspect that sintered metals are quite strong. A number of manufacturers are
using fractured big ends: Hyundai does this on their new V6 engine, and the
rods are sintered metal. My impression is that the sintered metal fractures
more precisely than traditional cast or forged rods (having to do with a
more uniform grain of the metal). While this fact may not be so overwhelming
as to compel readers to rush to their local Hyundai dealer, it does suggest
that sintered metal has excellent strength. As far as abrasion, relative to
an impeller, that may be another story.

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