Development of master sintering curve for field-assisted sintering of HfB2-20SiC

Abstract

Field assisted sintering (FAST) or spark plasma sintering (SPS) has emerged as a promising technology for densification of ultra high temperature ceramics like HfB2-20SiC at relatively low temperatures and shorter times. In the present study the concepts of master sintering curve (MSC) was applied to model the densification behavior of HfB92-20SiC during FAST process. An activation energy of 300 kJ/mol was estimated for field assisted sintering of HfB92-20SiC. The densification curves at various heating rates merged for activation energy of 300 kJ/mol confirming the applicability of MSC concepts to FAST process. The developed master sintering curves can be used to design sintering cycles and predict the densification of HfB92-20SiC during FAST process. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.