Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last decade, spark plasma sintering (SPS) has emerged to be a very efficient way to fast processing of advanced materials. This led to an evolution in the development of the process through flash spark plasma sintering, high-pressure configurations, low temperature sintering, complex shapes, etc. Nevertheless, these evolutions highlight the challenges of SPS, namely, temperature, pressure, and electrical current homogeneity; scalability; development of complex shapes; and productivity. This Special Issue of JMMP is dedicated to SPS and to new developments of this process. Special attention will be given to studies addressing the main challenges of SPS technology via modeling of the multiphysics fields, understanding the sintering mechanism, the electrical current’s effect on sintering, and the development of innovative SPS approaches. The following topics are encouraged in this Issue:

specific sintering mechanisms study;
multiphysics/multiscale modeling of SPS;
flash sintering;
high-pressure SPS;
low temperature SPS;
complex shapes;
SPS potential for production and scalability.

Dr. Charles Manière
Dr. Mattia Biesuz
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 2178 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Boronizing of CoCrFeMnNi High-Entropy Alloys Using Spark Plasma Sintering

by Hiroaki Nakajo and Akio Nishimoto

J. Manuf. Mater. Process. 2022, 6(2), 29; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jmmp6020029 - 27 Feb 2022

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2678

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the formation of a protective coating on a face-centered cubic high-entropy alloy (HEA). The coating was formed by a diffusion coating method. In the conventional diffusion coating method, the degradation of the mechanical properties of the base material owing to prolonged high-temperature treatment is a major issue. Therefore, we formed a ceramic layer using spark plasma sintering (SPS), which suppresses grain growth with rapid heating and enables fast, low-temperature processing. The objective of this study was to form borides on the surface of CoCrFeMnNi HEAs using the SPS method and to investigate their properties. A CoCrFeMnNi HEA prepared by the casting method was used as the base material, and a powdered mixture of B₄C and KBF₄ was used as the boron source. The analysis of the surfaces of the SPS-treated samples revealed the formation of M₂B, MB, and Mn₃B₄-type borides on the HEA surface. The surface hardness was 2000–2500 HV owing to the formation of a ceramic layer on the HEA surface, and elemental analysis showed that certain elements exhibited characteristic diffusion behaviors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spark Plasma Sintering: Mechanisms, Materials, and Technology Developments)

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16 pages, 9620 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spark Plasma Sintering of Electric Discharge Machinable 1.5Yb-1.5Sm-TZP-WC Composites

by Ella Walter, Maximilian Rapp and Frank Kern

J. Manuf. Mater. Process. 2022, 6(2), 28; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jmmp6020028 - 24 Feb 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2118

Abstract

Electrically conductive zirconia tungsten carbide composites are attractive materials for manufacturing precision components by electrical discharge machining due to their high strength, toughness and electrical conductivity. In this study, nanocomposite ceramics with a ytterbia samaria co-stabilized zirconia 1.5Yb-1.5Sm-TZP matrix and 24–32 vol.% tungsten carbide dispersion were manufactured by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 1400 °C for 15 min at 60 MPa pressure. The materials exhibited high strengths of 1300–1600 MPa, a moderate fracture resistance of 6 MPa√m and an ultrafine microstructure with grain sizes in the 150 nm range. Scanning electron microscopy and RAMAN spectroscopy revealed the in situ formation of carbon during the SPS process and carbon formation scales with tungsten carbide content, and this apparently impedes bending strength. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spark Plasma Sintering: Mechanisms, Materials, and Technology Developments)

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13 pages, 4467 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Electric Current on SPS Densification of Spherical Copper Powder

by Romaric Collet, Sophie Le Gallet, Frédéric Charlot, Sabine Lay, Jean-Marc Chaix and Frédéric Bernard

J. Manuf. Mater. Process. 2021, 5(4), 119; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jmmp5040119 - 05 Nov 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2258

Abstract

When a current is involved, as in spark plasma sintering, metallic powders are heated by the Joule effect through both tool and specimen. Other mechanisms might occur, but it is difficult to separate the role of the temperature from the role of the current inside the sample as, in most cases, the two parameters are not controlled independently. In this paper, the consolidation and the densification of a pure copper powder were studied in three configurations for obtaining different electric current paths: (i) current flowing through both the powder and the die, (ii) current forced into the powder and (iii) no current allowed in the powder. Electrical conductivity measurements showed that even low-density samples displayed higher conductivities than graphite by several orders of magnitude. FEM simulations confirmed that these copper specimens were mainly heated by the graphite punches. No modification of the microstructure by the flow of current could be observed. However, the absence of current in the specimen led to a decrease in densification. No significant temperature difference was modeled between the configurations, suggesting that differences are not linked to a thermal cause but rather to a current effect. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spark Plasma Sintering: Mechanisms, Materials, and Technology Developments)

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