Spark plasma sintering of nanostructured powder materials

Abstract

Spark plasma sintering is a method of consolidating nanostructured powder materials and also composites and gradient materials in the presence of an electromagnetic field, by means of low-voltage sources of powerful current. The main benefit of spark plasma sintering is that previously impossible structures, properties, and compositions may be produced. The finite-element method is used to analyze the consolidation of samples by spark plasma sintering and by a hybrid method in which spark plasma sintering is combined with hot pressing. Corresponding numerical models are tested.