Description
Consolidation of refractory ceramics such as boron carbide (B4C) and silicon carbide (SiC) by conventional sintering techniques (pressure-less sintering, hot pressing, hot isostatic pressing etc.) can prove challenging due to the high temperatures required for sintering. Typically sintering additives are used in order to decrease sintering temperature, but at the sacrifice of purity. Typically B4C requires sintering temperatures above 2000°C without the use of additives, while SiC is generally considered not sinterable without additives, and requires temperatures above 2000°C even with additives. Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) has emerged as a technology that can reduce the sintering temperature considerably compared to more conventional techniques. The simultaneous application of pressure, heat, and current can reduce sintering temperatures without the use of sintering aids to ~1600°C and 2000°C for boron carbide and silicon carbide respectively. One shortcoming of SPS, however, is the difficulty in producing complex shapes. Therefore, for carbide materials such as B4C and SiC, which are difficult to machine, the ability to produce complex shapes is worthy of investigation. One means of creating complex shapes is by joining simple shapes. Joining of monolithic ceramics, in particular SiC, has been achieved, however in all cases an intermediate joining material is used (Ti foil, Silica Powder etc.). Joining of materials using SPS, or as it is called, Spark Plasma Joining, can eliminate the need for an intermediate joining material, producing a high purity and high strength joint. This study investigates SPS of 3 different B4C Powders, as well as SPS joining of simple shape monolithic SiC. Sintering parameters such as temperature, pressure, time, and heating rate are all considered. Influence of sintering parameters on density, grain size, mechanical strength, and joint quality is investigated in detail.
