Sintering of powder metal compacts is one of the basic oper- ations in powder metallurgy. The useful properties of a machine part are obtained after considerable densification of the sintered material. Although the mechanical properties of the part depend on other structural factors besides porosity, porosity is the main factor. Usually, the practical problem in sintering is to obtain a part with the desired or permissible porosity. Thus, knowledge of the laws governing densification and its final result is neces- sary to control this process in the production of powder metal parts. The laws...