Reactive sintering and microstructure development of tungsten carbide-AISI 304 stainless steel cemented carbides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fernandes, C.M. [Department of Materials and Ceramics Engineering, CICECO, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal); CEMUC-Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Coimbra, Rua Luís Reis Santos, Pinhal de Marrocos, 3030-788 Coimbra (Portugal); Oliveira, F.J. [Department of Materials and Ceramics Engineering, CICECO, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal); Senos, A.M.R., E-mail: anamor@ua.pt [Department of Materials and Ceramics Engineering, CICECO, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal)

2017-06-01

Sintering of WC-stainless steel (SS) composites within a typical binder range from 6 up to 15 wt% SS was investigated through constant heating rate dilatometry, in vacuum conditions, complemented by differential thermal analysis and by the study of the high temperature wetting behavior of SS on WC. The densification starts ∼900 °C with a typical densification curve for all compositions, where three distinct regions are discernible: the first one with a slow densification rate, followed by a second region where a sharp increase in the densification rate up to a maximum value dependent on the binder amount is observed and, finally, a third one with a slowdown of the densification rate until the end of the thermal cycle. The attained final density at 1450 °C is dependent on the binder amount, increasing proportionally to its initial content. The final microstructure presents a normal grain size distribution and appreciable amounts of eta-phase, besides the major WC phase and residual iron rich phase. The reactive densification behavior and the role of the liquid phase are interpreted accordingly with structural and kinetic data. - Highlights: • Sintering of WC-AISI304 composites starts ∼900 °C and involves three stages. • Densification is largely dominated by a reactive liquid phase sintering process. • Eta-phase constitutes a transient liquid phase during sintering. • Sintering cycles are dependent on the initial binder content.

Current state of the Uranium dioxide sintering theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baranov, V.; Devyatko, Y.; Tenishev, A.; Khlunov, A.; Khomyakov, O.

2011-01-01

The basic approaches to the description of the ceramics sintering phenomenon are considered. It is established that diffusive sintering models incorrectly describe an intermediate stage of this process. The physical model of sintering, considering the substance plastic flow of pressing under the influence of internal stress forces and capillary forces, as the basic mechanism defining the shrinkage of sintering oxide nuclear fuel, is offered. (authors)

Sintered ceramics having controlled density and porosity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brassfield, H.C.; DeHollander, W.R.; Nivas, Y.

1980-01-01

A new method was developed for sintering ceramic uranium dioxide powders, in which ammonium oxalate is admixed with the powder prior to being pressed into a cylindrical green body, so that the end-point density of the final nuclear-reactor fuel product can be controlled. When the green body is heated, the ammonium oxalate decomposes and leaves discrete porosity in the sintered body, which corresponds to the ammonium oxalate regions in the green body. Thus the end-point density of the sintered body is a function of the amount of ammonium oxalate added. The final density of the sintered product is about 90-97% of the theoretical. The addition of ammonium oxalate also allows control of the pore size and distribution throughout the fuel. The process leaves substantially no impurities in the sintered strucuture. (DN)

Lanthanide (Nd, Gd) compounds with garnet and monazite structures. Powders synthesis by “wet” chemistry to sintering ceramics by Spark Plasma Sintering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Potanina, Ekaterina, E-mail: ekaterina.potanina@list.ru [Department of Solid State Chemistry, Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod, National Research University, 23 Prospekt Gagarina, BLDG 2, 603950 Nizhny Novgorod (Russian Federation); Golovkina, Ludmila, E-mail: golovkina_lyudmila@mail.ru [Department of Solid State Chemistry, Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod, National Research University, 23 Prospekt Gagarina, BLDG 2, 603950 Nizhny Novgorod (Russian Federation); Orlova, Albina, E-mail: albina.orlova@inbox.ru [Department of Solid State Chemistry, Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod, National Research University, 23 Prospekt Gagarina, BLDG 2, 603950 Nizhny Novgorod (Russian Federation); Nokhrin, Aleksey, E-mail: nokhrin@nifti.unn.ru [Research Institute of Physics and Technology, Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod, National Research University, 23 Prospekt Gagarina, BLDG 3, 603950 Nizhny Novgorod (Russian Federation); Boldin, Maksim, E-mail: boldin@nifti.unn.ru [Research Institute of Physics and Technology, Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod, National Research University, 23 Prospekt Gagarina, BLDG 3, 603950 Nizhny Novgorod (Russian Federation); Sakharov, Nikita, E-mail: nvsaharov@nifti.unn.ru [Research Institute of Physics and Technology, Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod, National Research University, 23 Prospekt Gagarina, BLDG 3, 603950 Nizhny Novgorod (Russian Federation)

2016-05-15

Complex oxide Y{sub 2.5}Nd{sub 0.5}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12} with garnet structure and phosphates NdPO{sub 4} and GdPO{sub 4} with monazite structure were obtained by using precipitation methods. Ceramics Y{sub 2.5}Nd{sub 0.5}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12} and NdPO{sub 4} were processed by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS). Relative density more 98%, sintering time did not exceed 8 min, sintering temperature 1330–1390 °C. Leaching rates of elements from ceramics were 10{sup −6}–10{sup −7} g/(cm{sup 2} d). The process of ceramics sintering has two-stage character: the first step of sintering-compaction process is related to the plastic flow of the material, the second step–to the process of grain boundary diffusion and grain growth. - Highlights: • Powders were obtained by precipitation (sol–gel) method. • Ceramics were sintering by Spark Plasma Sintering method (ρ{sub rel} > 98%); shrinkage time does not exceed 8 min. • The process of ceramics sintering has two-stage character.

Stress-dislocation interaction mechanism in low-temperature thermo-compression sintering of Ag NPs

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Fuliang; Tang, Zikai; He, Hu

2018-04-01

The sintering of metal nanoparticles (NPs) has been widely studied in the field of nanotechnology, and low-temperature sintering has become the industry standard. In this study, a molecular dynamics (MD) model was established to study the sintering behaviour of silver NPs during low-temperature thermo-compression. Primarily, we studied the sintering process, in which the ratio of neck radius to particle radius (x/r) changes. Under a uniaxial pressure, the maximum ratio in the temperature range 420-425 K was 1. According to the change of x/r, the process can be broken down into three stages: the neck-formation stage, neck-growth stage, and neck-stability stage. In addition, the relationship between potential energy, internal stress, and dislocation density during sintering is discussed. The results showed that cycling internal stress played an important role in sintering. Under the uniaxial pressure, the stress-dislocation interaction was found to be the major mechanism for thermo-compression sintering because the plastic deformation product dislocation intensified the diffusion of atoms. Also, the displacement vector, the mean square displacement, and the changing crystal structure during sintering were studied.

Stress-dislocation interaction mechanism in low-temperature thermo-compression sintering of Ag NPs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fuliang Wang

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The sintering of metal nanoparticles (NPs has been widely studied in the field of nanotechnology, and low-temperature sintering has become the industry standard. In this study, a molecular dynamics (MD model was established to study the sintering behaviour of silver NPs during low-temperature thermo-compression. Primarily, we studied the sintering process, in which the ratio of neck radius to particle radius (x/r changes. Under a uniaxial pressure, the maximum ratio in the temperature range 420–425 K was 1. According to the change of x/r, the process can be broken down into three stages: the neck-formation stage, neck-growth stage, and neck-stability stage. In addition, the relationship between potential energy, internal stress, and dislocation density during sintering is discussed. The results showed that cycling internal stress played an important role in sintering. Under the uniaxial pressure, the stress-dislocation interaction was found to be the major mechanism for thermo-compression sintering because the plastic deformation product dislocation intensified the diffusion of atoms. Also, the displacement vector, the mean square displacement, and the changing crystal structure during sintering were studied.

Enhanced Densification of PM Steels by Liquid Phase Sintering with Boron-Containing Master Alloy

Science.gov (United States)

Vattur Sundaram, Maheswaran; Surreddi, Kumar Babu; Hryha, Eduard; Veiga, Angela; Berg, Sigurd; Castro, Fransisco; Nyborg, Lars

2018-01-01

Reaching high density in PM steels is important for high-performance applications. In this study, liquid phase sintering of PM steels by adding gas-atomized Ni-Mn-B master alloy was investigated for enhancing the density levels of Fe- and Mo- prealloyed steel powder compacts. The results indicated that liquid formation occurs in two stages, beginning with the master alloy melting (LP-1) below and eutectic phase formation (LP-2) above 1373 K (1100 °C). Mo and C addition revealed a significant influence on the LP-2 temperatures and hence on the final densification behavior and mechanical properties. Microstructural embrittlement occurs with the formation of continuous boride networks along the grain boundaries, and its severity increases with carbon addition, especially for 2.5 wt pct of master alloy content. Sintering behavior, along with liquid generation, microstructural characteristics, and mechanical testing revealed that the reduced master alloy content from 2.5 to 1.5 wt pct (reaching overall boron content from 0.2 to 0.12 wt pct) was necessary for obtaining good ductility with better mechanical properties. Sintering with Ni-Mn-B master alloy enables the sintering activation by liquid phase formation in two stages to attain high density in PM steels suitable for high-performance applications.

Laser sintering of copper nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zenou, Michael; Saar, Amir; Ermak, Oleg; Kotler, Zvi

2014-01-01

Copper nanoparticle (NP) inks serve as an attractive potential replacement to silver NP inks in functional printing applications. However their tendency to rapidly oxidize has so far limited their wider use. In this work we have studied the conditions for laser sintering of Cu-NP inks in ambient conditions while avoiding oxidation. We have determined the regime for stable, low-resistivity copper (< ×3 bulk resistivity value) generation in terms of laser irradiance and exposure duration and have indicated the limits on fast processing. The role of pre-drying conditions on sintering outcome has also been studied. A method, based on spectral reflectivity measurements, was used for non-contact monitoring of the sintering process evolution. It also indicates preferred spectral regions for sintering. Finally, we illustrated how selective laser sintering can generate high-quality, fine line (<5 µm wide) and dense copper circuits. (paper)

Final Report on Initial Samples Supplied by LLNL for Task 3.3 Binder Burnout and Sintering Schedule Optimisation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walls, P

1999-01-04

combination of: (1) use of a higher forming pressure, (2) reduction of organics content, (3) improvement in the distribution of the organic wax and binder components throughout the green body, could possibly alleviate cracking. Ultrasonic emulsification of the binder and wax with a small quantity of water prior to adding to the ball or attrition mill is advised to ensure more even distribution of the wax/binder system. This would also reduce the proportion of organic additives required. The binder burnout stage of the operation must first be optimized (i.e. production of pucks with no cracks) prior to optimization of the sintering stage.

Flash sintering of ceramic materials

Science.gov (United States)

Dancer, C. E. J.

2016-10-01

During flash sintering, ceramic materials can sinter to high density in a matter of seconds while subjected to electric field and elevated temperature. This process, which occurs at lower furnace temperatures and in shorter times than both conventional ceramic sintering and field-assisted methods such as spark plasma sintering, has the potential to radically reduce the power consumption required for the densification of ceramic materials. This paper reviews the experimental work on flash sintering methods carried out to date, and compares the properties of the materials obtained to those produced by conventional sintering. The flash sintering process is described for oxides of zirconium, yttrium, aluminium, tin, zinc, and titanium; silicon and boron carbide, zirconium diboride, materials for solid oxide fuel applications, ferroelectric materials, and composite materials. While experimental observations have been made on a wide range of materials, understanding of the underlying mechanisms responsible for the onset and latter stages of flash sintering is still elusive. Elements of the proposed theories to explain the observed behaviour include extensive Joule heating throughout the material causing thermal runaway, arrested by the current limitation in the power supply, and the formation of defect avalanches which rapidly and dramatically increase the sample conductivity. Undoubtedly, the flash sintering process is affected by the electric field strength, furnace temperature and current density limit, but also by microstructural features such as the presence of second phase particles or dopants and the particle size in the starting material. While further experimental work and modelling is still required to attain a full understanding capable of predicting the success of the flash sintering process in different materials, the technique non-etheless holds great potential for exceptional control of the ceramic sintering process.

Two step sintering of zirconia-escandia-ceria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grosso, R.L.; Muccillo, E.N.S.

2011-01-01

Recent reports show that the ceramic system based on zirconia-scandia-ceria is a good candidate to act as solid electrolyte in solid oxide fuel cells operating at intermediate temperatures (600-800 °C). In this work, commercial ZrO_2 containing 10 mol% scandium oxide and 1 mol% cerium oxide was sintered by the two stage method. This technique was proposed to in order to obtain ceramic materials with high density along with fine grain sizes, because it avoids the grain growth occurring in the last stage of sintering. A number of experimental conditions were fully exploited by varying the dwell temperature (T_2) and the dwell time. The peak temperature (T_1) was chosen from linear shrinkage results. High (>98%) density values were obtained using this method. The medium grain size was evaluated for selected sintered samples. X-ray diffraction patterns reveal a secondary (rhombohedral) phase in sintered samples. The intensity of the secondary phase is a function of T_1 being small for relatively higher peak temperatures. (author)

Studies on the sintering of copper powder compacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elmasry, M.A.A.; Abadir, M.F.; Mahdy, A.N.; Elkinawy, W.S.

1995-01-01

Solid state sintering behavior of cylindrical compacts, (1 cm diameter and 1 cm height), made of copper powder was studied within a range of compacting pressure of 75 up to 300 MPa, sintering temperature of 600 up to to 900 degree C, and sintering time of 5 up to 60 min in a reducing atmosphere composed of H2 and N 2 gases with a volumetric ratio 3:1. The green and the sintered densities were found to to increase with the compacting pressure. Higher sintering temperature, and time favour increased sintered density. probable mechanisms during the initial stage of sintering were disclosed. It was found that low pressures cause dilation of closed pores, and vice versa. At low pressures and temperatures the surface diffusion mechanism is favoured, While high temperatures favour lattice diffusion mechanism. at high pressures, the lattice diffusion mechanism is suppressed while surface diffusion predominates. Density and hence shrinkage were also found to increase with the increase of sintering time, While its rate increases with the increase of sintering temperature. the influence of sintering conditions on the hardness of the compacts was studied. An increase in hardness, When higher compacting pressures and higher sintering temperatures were adopted, has bee obtained. 11 figs

Contribution to the study of the sintering of ex-carbonyl iron in the α and γ phases using the micro-fractographic technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oxley Gaborit de Montjou, M.Th.

1966-01-01

The micro-fractographic study of the sintering of ex-carbonyl iron has shown or confirmed a number of phenomena of which the principal are as followed: Sintering in the a phase: -) existence of two stages of sintering differentiated by the type of rupture (inter or trans-crystalline); -) marked influence of the content of oxygen in the atmosphere and in the initial compressed sample on the speed of sintering; -) formation of striations on the grain-boundary surfaces and on the inner surface of pores caused by the presence of oxygen. Sintering in the γ phase: -) a pronounced decrease in the speed of sintering: the grains in the initial powder remain in the granular state within the final α crystal in the iron sintered in the lower γ range even after several hours of sintering; -) this granular structure can be eliminated by intermediate compression thus enabling the sintering process to proceed. A considerable decrease in the speed of sintering if the A 3 point is passed one or more times in the α range sintering. A high speed sintering if the treatment in the γ range is carried out at or above 1300 C. The results of this study agree with micrographic investigation as well as with dilatometric measurements and known auto-diffusion coefficients. (author) [fr

Bevalac injector final stage RF amplifier upgrades

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howard, D.; Calvert, J.; Dwinell, R.; Lax, J.; Lindner, A.; Richter, R.; Ridgeway, W.

1991-01-01

With the assistance of the DOE In-house Energy Management Program, the Bevalac injector final stage RF amplifier systems have been successfully upgraded to reduce energy consumption and operating costs. This recently completed project removed the energy-inefficient plate voltage modulator circuits that were used in conjunction with the final stage RF amplifiers. Construction, design, and operating parameters are described in detail

Effect Of Compaction Pressure And Sintering Temperature On The Liquid Phase Sintering Behavior Of Al-Cu-Zn Alloy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee S.H.

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The liquid phase sintering characteristics of Al-Cu-Zn alloy were investigated with respect to various powder metallurgy processing conditions. Powders of each alloying elements were blended to form Al-6Cu-5Zn composition and compacted with pressures of 200, 400, and 600 MPa. The sintering process was performed at various temperatures of 410, 560, and 615°C in N2 gas atmosphere. Density and micro-Vickers hardness measurements were conducted at different processing stages, and transverse rupture strength of sintered materials was examined for each condition, respectively. The microstructure was characterized using optical microscope and scanning electron microscopy. The effect of Zn addition on the liquid phase sintering behavior during P/M process of the Al-Cu-Zn alloy was also discussed in detail.

Low temperature spark plasma sintering of YIG powders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernandez-Garcia, L.; Suarez, M.; Menendez, J.L.

2010-01-01

A transition from a low to a high spin state in the magnetization saturation between 1000 and 1100 o C calcination temperature is observed in YIG powders prepared by oxides mixture. Spark plasma sintering of these powders between 900 and 950 o C leads to dense samples with minimal formation of YFeO 3 , opening the way to co-sintering of YIG with metals or metallic alloys. The optical properties depend on the sintering stage: low (high) density samples show poor (bulk) optical absorption.

Sintering of composite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bordia, R.K.; Scherer, G.W.

1988-01-01

Several constitutive laws have been used in the literature to predict the response of sintering bodies under external and internal stress fields. These analyses are based on the assumptions of linear and isotropic behavior. The authors provide a critical examination of these equations and show that some of the available constitutive laws predict a negative Poisson's ratio. These laws have been used to analyze sintering of ceramic matrix composites with rigid inclusions and predict large values of the internal stresses and significant retardation of the densification of composites. Since a negative value of Poisson's ratio has never been observed in sinter - forging experiments, the authors conclude that either the stresses are small (as predicted by the constitutive laws with positive Poisson's ratio) or the basic assumption of linearity and isotropy used in all the analyses is incorrect. Finally, the authors discuss some phenomena that could be important in understanding the densification of ceramic matrix composites

Effects of forming temperature and sintering rate to the final properties of FeCuAl powder compacts formed through uniaxial die compaction process

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, M. M.; Ismail, M. A.; Sopyan, I.; Rahman, H. Y.

2018-01-01

This paper presents the outcomes of an experimental investigation on the effects of forming temperature and sintering schedule to the final characteristics of FeCuAl powder mass formed at different temperature and sintered at different schedule. A lab-scale uni-axial die compaction rig was designed and fabricated which enabled the compaction of powder mass at room temperature as well as elevated temperature. Iron (Fe) powder ASC 100.29 was mechanically mixed with other elemental powders, namely copper (Cu), and aluminum (Al) for 60 minutes and compacted at three different temperature, i.e., 30°C, 150°C, and 200°C by applying 425 MPa of simultaneous downward and upward axial loading to generate green compacts. The as-pressed samples were inspected visually and the defect-free green compacts were subsequently sintered in an argon gas fired furnace at 800°C for 60 min at three different heating/cooling rates, i.e., 5, 10, and 15°C/min, respectively. The sintered samples were then characterised for their physical, electrical, and mechanical properties. The microstructures of the sintered samples were also analysed. The results revealed that a forming temperature of 150°C and a sintering rate of 10°C/min could produce a product with better characteristics.

Hydrothermal Cold Sintering

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Xiaoyu

�C, respectively. Process variables were defined and effects of individual parameters were studied systematically through control variable method with Li2MoO4-water system. Crystalline structure, fractured surface morphology and chemical bonding information of the cold sintered pellets were studied with X-ray diffraction (XRD), field effect scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and Raman spectroscopy, etc. Densification mechanism studies were conducted on ZnO. Through comparison experiments, it was found that the Zn2+ concentration in the solution is critical for densification, while dissolution of grains only serves as a means to the former. Through pressure dependent studies, a critical value was found, which correlated well with the hydrostatic pressure keeping liquid water from thermal expansion. These results confirmed establishment of hydrothermal condition that would be important for mass transport in densification. Densification rate variations with process time was estimated and similar time dependence to Kingery's model was found. The densification process was proposed to be consist of three consecutive stages, which are quick initial compaction, grain rearrangement and dissolution-reprecipitation events. Binary metal oxides with different acidities were subjected to cold sintering with various aqueous solutions in establishing a criteria for material selection. It was found that in general materials with high solubility at around neutral pH, high dissolution kinetics and similar free energy to their hydroxides or hydrates at ambient would be more likely for full densification with high phase purity. The anions in solution should also be wisely selected to avoid stable compound or complex formation. To extend the applicable material list for full densification, non-aqueous solvent of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) based solution was studied for cold sintering. Both improvement of pellet density and suppression of hydroxide formation were achieved for MnO by using DMSO

Improving NASICON Sinterability through Crystallization under High Frequency Electrical Fields

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilya eLisenker

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The effect of high frequency (HF electric fields on the crystallization and sintering rates of a lithium aluminum germanium phosphate (LAGP ion conducting ceramic was investigated. LAGP with the nominal composition Li1.5Al0.5Ge1.5(PO43 was crystallized and sintered, both conventionally and under effect of electrical field. Electrical field application, of 300V/cm at 1MHz, produced up to a 40% improvement in sintering rate of LAGP that was crystallized and sintered under the HF field. Heat sink effect of the electrodes appears to arrest thermal runaway and subsequent flash behavior. Sintered pellets were characterized using XRD, SEM, TEM and EIS to compare conventionally and field sintered processes. The as-sintered structure appears largely unaffected by the field as the sintering curves tend to converge beyond initial stages of sintering. Differences in densities and microstructure after 1 hour of sintering were minor with measured sintering strains of 31% vs. 26% with and without field, respectively . Ionic conductivity of the sintered pellets was evaluated and no deterioration due to the use of HF field was noted, though capacitance of grain boundaries due to secondary phases was significantly increased.

Influence of the starch content and sintering temperature on the processing of porous zirconia substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albano, Maria P; Garrido, Liliana B

2008-01-01

Porous ceramics are used as electrodes in fuel cells, separators in batteries, filters, etc. Thin porous substrates of zirconium stabilized with yttrium oxide (ZSY) are used as anodes in solid oxide fuel cells. One way to obtain a porous band is to mix starch particles during the preparation stage of the ZSY suspension. The starch burns during the removal of the binder and leaves stable pores that are not eliminated in the subsequent sintering stage. This work used the band pouring process to produce porous bands of ZSY with porosities of 29% to 53% using starch as a transitory additive. Concentrated aqueous suspensions of ZSY were prepared with different contents of starch and of an acrylic latex binder. The influence of the fraction of starch volume and of the temperature on the sintering behavior and on the final micro structure of the bands was studied. The total porosity of the bands was higher than the fractions in volume of added starch, due to the presence of closed porosity in the matrix. The deviations compared to the porosity predicted based on the fractions in the volume of starch, were greater as the starch content increased. The percentage of open porosity in the sintered bands depended on the fraction in the volume of added starch and on the sintering temperature. When the fraction in volume of starch increased from 17.6% to 37.8% a gradual increase occurred in the opening of the porous structure. The contraction of the bands during sintering at a given temperature correlated with the density of the packing of ZSY (au)

Extension of the master sintering curve for constant heating rate modeling

Science.gov (United States)

McCoy, Tammy Michelle

The purpose of this work is to extend the functionality of the Master Sintering Curve (MSC) such that it can be used as a practical tool for predicting sintering schemes that combine both a constant heating rate and an isothermal hold. Rather than just being able to predict a final density for the object of interest, the extension to the MSC will actually be able to model a sintering run from start to finish. Because the Johnson model does not incorporate this capability, the work presented is an extension of what has already been shown in literature to be a valuable resource in many sintering situations. A predicted sintering curve that incorporates a combination of constant heating rate and an isothermal hold is more indicative of what is found in real-life sintering operations. This research offers the possibility of predicting the sintering schedule for a material, thereby having advanced information about the extent of sintering, the time schedule for sintering, and the sintering temperature with a high degree of accuracy and repeatability. The research conducted in this thesis focuses on the development of a working model for predicting the sintering schedules of several stabilized zirconia powders having the compositions YSZ (HSY8), 10Sc1CeSZ, 10Sc1YSZ, and 11ScSZ1A. The compositions of the four powders are first verified using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and the particle size and surface area are verified using a particle size analyzer and BET analysis, respectively. The sintering studies were conducted on powder compacts using a double pushrod dilatometer. Density measurements are obtained both geometrically and using the Archimedes method. Each of the four powders is pressed into ¼" diameter pellets using a manual press with no additives, such as a binder or lubricant. Using a double push-rod dilatometer, shrinkage data for the pellets is obtained over several different heating rates. The shrinkage data is then converted to reflect the change in relative

Improving NASICON Sinterability through Crystallization under High-Frequency Electrical Fields

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lisenker, Ilya; Stoldt, Conrad R., E-mail: stoldt@colorado.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO (United States)

2016-03-31

The effect of high-frequency (HF) electric fields on the crystallization and sintering rates of a lithium aluminum germanium phosphate (LAGP) ion conducting ceramic was investigated. LAGP with the nominal composition Li{sub 1.5}Al{sub 0.5}Ge{sub 1.5}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3} was crystallized and sintered, both conventionally and under effect of electrical field. Electrical field application, of 300 V/cm at 1 MHz, produced up to a 40% improvement in sintering rate of LAGP that was crystallized and sintered under the HF field. Heat sink effect of the electrodes appears to arrest thermal runaway and subsequent flash behavior. Sintered pellets were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, TEM, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to compare conventionally and field-sintered processes. The as-sintered structure appears largely unaffected by the field as the sintering curves tend to converge beyond initial stages of sintering. Differences in densities and microstructure after 1 h of sintering were minor with measured sintering strains of 31 vs. 26% with and without field, respectively. Ionic conductivity of the sintered pellets was evaluated, and no deterioration due to the use of HF field was noted, though capacitance of grain boundaries due to secondary phases was significantly increased.

U3O8 microspheres sintering kinetics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Godoy, A.L.E.

1986-01-01

U 3 O 8 microspheres sintering kinetics was determined using a hot-stage optical microscopy apparatus, able to reach temperature up to 1350 0 C in controlled atmospheres. The sintered material had its microstructure analysed by optical and electron microscopy. The microspheres were characterized initialy utilizing X-ray diffractometry and thermogravimetry. The equation which describes the microspheres shrinkage in function of the time was obtained using finite difference analysis X-ray diffractometry indicated hexagonal structure for the microspheres main starting material, ammonium diuranate thermogravimetric analysis showed reduction of this material to U 3 O 8 at 600 0 C. Ceramography results showed 5 hours sintered microspheres grain sizes G vary with the temperature. Sintered U 3 O 8 micrographs compared with published results for UO 2 , indicate similar homogeneity microstructural characteristics and suggest the processed micorspheres to be potentially useful as nuclear fuels. (Author) [pt

In situ Transmission Electron Microscopy of catalyst sintering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

DeLaRiva, Andrew T.; Hansen, Thomas Willum; Challa, Sivakumar R.

2013-01-01

Recent advancements in the field of electron microscopy, such as aberration correctors, have now been integrated into Environmental Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEMs), making it possible to study the behavior of supported metal catalysts under operating conditions at atomic resolution. Here......, we focus on in situ electron microscopy studies of catalysts that shed light on the mechanistic aspects of catalyst sintering. Catalyst sintering is an important mechanism for activity loss, especially for catalysts that operate at elevated temperatures. Literature from the past decade is reviewed...... along with our recent in situ TEM studies on the sintering of Ni/MgAl2O4 catalysts. These results suggest that the rapid loss of catalyst activity in the earliest stages of catalyst sintering could result from Ostwald ripening rather than through particle migration and coalescence. The smallest...

Porous copper template from partially spark plasma-sintered Cu–Zn ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Administrator

analysis. Keywords. Metal; corrosion; porous structure; sintering; powder metallurgy. 1. Introduction ... well as in the case, when the overall electrode potential of the final ... at 100 °C/min to reach sintering temperature and load was applied ...

Study of the sintering process and the formation of a (Th, U) O2 solid solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomasi, Roberto

1979-01-01

The effect of some variables in the (Th, U) O 2 sintering process and solid solution formation was studied. ThO 2 , U 3 O 8 and UO 2 powder were prepared. The ThO 2 powders were obtained by calcination of thorium at 500 and 750 deg C; the U 3 O 8 powders were derived from the calcination of ADU at 660 and 750 deg C; the UO 2 powder were prepared from ADU and from ATCU. The different characteristics of these materials were determined by measurements of surface area, by scanning electron microscopy, tap density tests, X-ray diffractometry and by measurements of the O/U ratios. The oxide mixtures were chosen in order to produce a final composition with 10 w/o of UO 2 . A mixture of thorium oxalate and ADU was also prepared by calcining these salts in air at 700 deg C, in order to obtain certain amount of solid solution prior to sintering. The sintering operations were developed in an argon atmosphere at temperatures between 1400 and 1700 deg C, during interval varying from 1 to 4 hours. The effect of the mixture characteristics on the sintering process and solid solution formation were studied considering the results of densification, microstructure development and X-ray diffractometry. The ThO 2 powder characteristics have a main effect on the mixtures compactability and sinterability, the higher calcining temperatures increasing the green density, but decreasing the final density of the sintered pellets. In the sintering of mixtures containing U 3 O 3 , this oxide is reduced to UO 2 and it is possible to obtain pellets with density and microstructures similar to those produced from mixtures containing UO 2 . But if oxygen in excess is present during sintering, the process is affected, occurring exaggerated grain growth. The densification results were related to the Coble's kinetics equation for second stage of sintering, valid for bulk diffusion, grain boundary acting as vacancy sinks. The sintering activation energy is independent from the powder starting

Sintering and densification; new techniques: sinter forging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winnubst, A.J.A.

1998-01-01

In this chapter pressure assisted sintering methods will be described. Attention will mainly be paid to sinter forging as a die-wall free uniaxial pressure sintering technique, where large creep strains are possible. Sinter forging is an effective tool to reduce sintering temperature and time and to obtain a nearly theoretically dense ceramic. In this way grain size in tetragonal zirconia ceramics can be reduced down to 100 nm. Another important phenomenon is the reduction of the number density and size of cracks and flaws resulting in higher strength and improved reliability, which is of utmost importance for engineering ceramics. The creep deformation during sinter forging causes a rearrangement of the grains resulting in a reduction of interatomic spaces between grains, while grain boundary (glassy) phases can be removed. The toughness and in some cases the wear resistance is enhanced after sinter forging as a result of the grain-boundary-morphology improvement. (orig.)

Low temperature sintering of hyperstoichiometric uranium dioxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chevrel, H.

1991-12-01

In the lattice of uranium dioxide with hyperstoichiometric oxygen content (UO 2+x ), each additional oxygen atoms is introduced by shifting two anions from normal sites to interstitial ones, thereby creating two oxygen vacancies. The point defects then combine to form complex defects comprising several interstitials and vacancies. The group of anions (3x) in the interstitial position participate in equilibria promoting the creation of uranium vacancies thereby considerably increasing uranium self-diffusion. However, uranium grain boundaries diffusion governs densification during the first two stages of sintering of uranium dioxide with hyperstoichiometric oxygen content, i.e., up to 93% of the theoretical density. Surface diffusion and evaporation-condensation, which are considerably accentuated by the hyperstoichiometric deviation, play an active role during sintering by promoting crystalline growth during the second and third stages of sintering. U 8 O 8 can be added to adjust the stoichiometry and to form a finely porous structure and thus increase the pore area subjected to surface phenomena. The composition with an O/U ratio equal to 2.25 is found to densify the best, despite a linear growth in sintering activation energy with hyperstoichiometric oxygen content, increasing from 300 kj.mol -1 for UO 2.10 to 440 kJ.mol -1 for UO 2.25 . Seeds can be introduced to obtain original microstructures, for example the presence of large grains in small-grain matrix

Effects of additives on the sintering of UO2.Gd2O3 nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pagano Junior, Luciano

2009-01-01

The addition of 0.5wt% TiO 2 , Nb 2 O 5 , SiO 2 , Fe 2 O 3 and Al(OH) 3 in the UO 2 ·7%Gd 2 O 3 nuclear fuel and the effect on its sintering kinetics under a 99.999% H 2 atmosphere were investigated by stepwise isothermal dilatometry. This fuel, used as burnable poison in nuclear power plants, presents a diffusion barrier around 1573 K that impairs densification. The aid of the sintering additives TiO 2 , Al(OH) 3 , Nb 2 O 5 and Fe 2 O 3 turned out to be effective to obtain the required final density, unlike the effect observed for the SiO 2 -doped composition. The activation energy for the intermediate sintering stage was calculated by stepwise isothermal dilatometry method and a positive correlation with the sintered body density was found. The method was valid for part of the intermediate sintering stage, in the range from 1200 K to 1700 K for the doped compositions and with no additive, except for the SiO 2 -doped one, whose validity range was between 1500 K and 1900 K. The energy-density correlation was not valid for the SiO 2 -doped composition, whose effect was to reduce the final density. This anomalous behavior may be attributed to the intense loss of Si mass, probably due to lower oxides volatilization, during the initial sintering stage at temperatures lower than 1173 K. Similar loss, but no so intense, was observed for the Al(OH) 3 -doped composition in the temperature interval from 1173 K to 1573 K. The Si concentration decrease to residual values of dozens of parts per million may explain its anomalous behavior. The positive correlation between activation energy and sintered body density may be explained by the inhibitor role played by the TiO 2 , Nb 2 O 5 , Fe 2 O 3 and Al(OH) 3 additives on the diffusion mechanisms that enhance the coarsening regime. As a consequence, the densification mechanisms are favored in the competition for the surface free energy. The coarsening-densification transition temperature model, originally suggested for the UO 2

Compression Molding and Novel Sintering Treatments for Alnico Type-8 Permanent Magnets in Near-Final Shape with Preferred Orientation

Science.gov (United States)

Kassen, Aaron G.; White, Emma M. H.; Tang, Wei; Hu, Liangfa; Palasyuk, Andriy; Zhou, Lin; Anderson, Iver E.

2017-09-01

Economic uncertainty in the rare earth (RE) permanent magnet marketplace, as well as in an expanding electric drive vehicle market that favors permanent magnet alternating current synchronous drive motors, motivated renewed research in RE-free permanent magnets like "alnico," an Al-Ni-Co-Fe alloy. Thus, high-pressure, gas-atomized isotropic type-8H pre-alloyed alnico powder was compression molded with a clean burn- out binder to near-final shape and sintered to density >99% of cast alnico 8 (full density of 7.3 g/cm3). To produce aligned sintered alnico magnets for improved energy product and magnetic remanence, uniaxial stress was attempted to promote controlled grain growth, avoiding directional solidification that provides alignment in alnico 9. Successful development of solid-state powder processing may enable anisotropically aligned alnico magnets with enhanced energy density to be mass-produced.

Constrained sintering of an air-plasma-sprayed thermal barrier coating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cocks, A.C.F.; Fleck, N.A.

2010-01-01

A micromechanical model is presented for the constrained sintering of an air-plasma-sprayed, thermal barrier coating upon a thick superalloy substrate. The coating comprises random splats with intervening penny-shaped cracks. The crack faces make contact at asperities, which progressively sinter in-service by interfacial diffusion, accommodated by bulk creep. Diffusion is driven by the reduction in interfacial energy at the developing contacts and by the local asperity contact stress. At elevated operating temperature, both sintering and creep strains accumulate within the plane of the coating. The sensitivities of sintering rate and microstructure evolution rate to the kinetic parameters and thermodynamic driving forces are explored. It is demonstrated that the sintering response is governed by three independent timescales, as dictated by the material and geometric properties of the coating. Finally, the role of substrate constraint is assessed by comparing the rate of constrained sintering with that for free sintering.

The development of microstructure during hydrogenation–disproportionation–desorption–recombination treatment of sintered neodymium-iron-boron-type magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheridan, R.S.; Harris, I.R.; Walton, A.

2016-01-01

The hydrogen absorption and desorption characteristics of the hydrogenation disproportionation desorption and recombination (HDDR) process on scrap sintered neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) type magnets have been investigated. At each stage of the process, the microstructural changes have been studied using high resolution scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the disproportionation reaction initiates at grain boundaries and triple points and then propagates towards the centre of the matrix grains. This process was accelerated at particle surfaces and at free surfaces produced by any cracks in the powder particles. However, the recombination reaction appeared to initiate randomly throughout the particles with no apparent preference for particle surfaces or internal cracks. During the hydrogenation of the grain boundaries and triple junctions, the disproportionation reaction was, however, affected by the much higher oxygen content of the sintered NdFeB compared with that of the as-cast NdFeB alloys. Throughout the entire HDDR reaction the oxidised triple junctions (from the sintered structure) remained unreacted and hence, remained in their original form in the fine recombined microstructure. This resulted in a very significant reduction in the proportion of cavitation in the final microstructure and this could lend to improved consolidation in the recycled magnets. - Highlights: • Disproportionation reaction initiates at grain boundaries and triple points. • Disproportionation then propagates towards the centre of the matrix grains. • Disproportionation was affected by the high oxygen content of sintered NdFeB. • Oxidised triple points remain unreacted in original form in final HDDR structure. • Significant reduction in the proportion of cavitation in the final microstructure.

The development of microstructure during hydrogenation–disproportionation–desorption–recombination treatment of sintered neodymium-iron-boron-type magnets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sheridan, R.S.; Harris, I.R.; Walton, A., E-mail: a.walton@bham.ac.uk

2016-03-01

The hydrogen absorption and desorption characteristics of the hydrogenation disproportionation desorption and recombination (HDDR) process on scrap sintered neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) type magnets have been investigated. At each stage of the process, the microstructural changes have been studied using high resolution scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the disproportionation reaction initiates at grain boundaries and triple points and then propagates towards the centre of the matrix grains. This process was accelerated at particle surfaces and at free surfaces produced by any cracks in the powder particles. However, the recombination reaction appeared to initiate randomly throughout the particles with no apparent preference for particle surfaces or internal cracks. During the hydrogenation of the grain boundaries and triple junctions, the disproportionation reaction was, however, affected by the much higher oxygen content of the sintered NdFeB compared with that of the as-cast NdFeB alloys. Throughout the entire HDDR reaction the oxidised triple junctions (from the sintered structure) remained unreacted and hence, remained in their original form in the fine recombined microstructure. This resulted in a very significant reduction in the proportion of cavitation in the final microstructure and this could lend to improved consolidation in the recycled magnets. - Highlights: • Disproportionation reaction initiates at grain boundaries and triple points. • Disproportionation then propagates towards the centre of the matrix grains. • Disproportionation was affected by the high oxygen content of sintered NdFeB. • Oxidised triple points remain unreacted in original form in final HDDR structure. • Significant reduction in the proportion of cavitation in the final microstructure.

Evaluation of dilatometric techniques for studies of sintering kinetics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Sayed Ali, M.; Toft Soerensen, O.

1985-04-01

The kinetics of the initial sintering stage of CeO 2 is evaluated by three different techniques: constant heating rate dilatometry, constant shrinkage rate dilatometry and a new technique recently introduced by the authors called Stepwise Isothermal Dilatometry (SID). Comparative measurements with these techniques showed that too high activation energies were obtained with the two first techniques, both of which can be termed as nonisothermal, whereas activation energies comparable to those reported for cation diffusion in other fluorite oxides were obtained with the latter technique. Of the three techniques SID is thus considered to be the most accurate for studies of the sintering kinetics. In contrast to the two nonisothermal techniques SID has the further advantage that both the controlling mechanism and its activation energy can be determined in a single experiment. From the SID-measurement it was concluded that the initial sintering stage of CeO 2 is controlled by grain-boundary diffusion. (author)

Effect of processing conditions on microstructural features in Mn–Si sintered steels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oro, Raquel, E-mail: raqueld@chalmers.se [Department of Materials and Manufacturing Technology, Chalmers University of Technology, Rännvägen 2A, SE-41296 Gothenburg (Sweden); Hryha, Eduard, E-mail: hryha@chalmers.se [Department of Materials and Manufacturing Technology, Chalmers University of Technology, Rännvägen 2A, SE-41296 Gothenburg (Sweden); Campos, Mónica, E-mail: campos@ing.uc3m.es [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, IAAB, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Av. Universidad 30, 28911 Leganés, Madrid (Spain); Torralba, José M., E-mail: torralba@ing.uc3m.es [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, IAAB, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Av. Universidad 30, 28911 Leganés, Madrid (Spain); IMDEA Materials Institute, c/Eric Kandel, 2, 28906 Getafe, Madrid (Spain)

2014-09-15

Sintering of steels containing oxidation sensitive elements is possible if such elements are alloyed with others which present lower affinity for oxygen. In this work, a master alloy powder containing Fe–Mn–Si–C, specifically designed to create a liquid phase during sintering, has been used for such purpose. The effect of processing conditions such as sintering temperature and atmosphere was studied with the aim of describing the microstructural evolution as well as the morphology and distribution of oxides in the sintered material, evaluating the potential detrimental effect of such oxides on mechanical properties. Chemical analyses, metallography and fractography studies combined with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses on the fracture surfaces were used to reveal the main mechanism of fracture and their correlation with the chemical composition of the different fracture surfaces. The results indicate that the main mechanism of failure in these steels is brittle fracture in the surrounding of the original master alloy particles due to degradation of grain boundaries by the presence of oxide inclusions. Mn–Si oxide inclusions were observed on intergranular decohesive facets. The use of reducing atmospheres and high sintering temperatures reduces the amount and size of such oxide inclusions. Besides, high heating and cooling rates reduce significantly the final oxygen content in the sintered material. A model for microstructure development and oxide evolution during different stages of sintering is proposed, considering the fact that when the master alloy melts, the liquid formed can dissolve some of the oxides as well as the surface of the surrounding iron base particles. - Highlights: • Oxide distribution in steels containing oxidation-sensitive elements • Mn, Si introduced in a master alloy powder, mixed with a base iron powder • Selective oxidation of Mn and Si on iron grain boundaries • Decohesive fracture caused by degradation of grain

Effect of processing conditions on microstructural features in Mn–Si sintered steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oro, Raquel; Hryha, Eduard; Campos, Mónica; Torralba, José M.

2014-01-01

Sintering of steels containing oxidation sensitive elements is possible if such elements are alloyed with others which present lower affinity for oxygen. In this work, a master alloy powder containing Fe–Mn–Si–C, specifically designed to create a liquid phase during sintering, has been used for such purpose. The effect of processing conditions such as sintering temperature and atmosphere was studied with the aim of describing the microstructural evolution as well as the morphology and distribution of oxides in the sintered material, evaluating the potential detrimental effect of such oxides on mechanical properties. Chemical analyses, metallography and fractography studies combined with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses on the fracture surfaces were used to reveal the main mechanism of fracture and their correlation with the chemical composition of the different fracture surfaces. The results indicate that the main mechanism of failure in these steels is brittle fracture in the surrounding of the original master alloy particles due to degradation of grain boundaries by the presence of oxide inclusions. Mn–Si oxide inclusions were observed on intergranular decohesive facets. The use of reducing atmospheres and high sintering temperatures reduces the amount and size of such oxide inclusions. Besides, high heating and cooling rates reduce significantly the final oxygen content in the sintered material. A model for microstructure development and oxide evolution during different stages of sintering is proposed, considering the fact that when the master alloy melts, the liquid formed can dissolve some of the oxides as well as the surface of the surrounding iron base particles. - Highlights: • Oxide distribution in steels containing oxidation-sensitive elements • Mn, Si introduced in a master alloy powder, mixed with a base iron powder • Selective oxidation of Mn and Si on iron grain boundaries • Decohesive fracture caused by degradation of grain

Verification of the Skorohod-Olevsky Viscous Sintering (SOVS) Model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lester, Brian T. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-11-16

Sintering refers to a manufacturing process through which mechanically pressed bodies of ceramic (and sometimes metal) powders are heated to drive densification thereby removing the inherit porosity of green bodies. As the body densifies through the sintering process, the ensuing material flow leads to macroscopic deformations of the specimen and as such the final configuration differs form the initial. Therefore, as with any manufacturing step, there is substantial interest in understanding and being able to model the sintering process to predict deformation and residual stress. Efforts in this regard have been pursued for face seals, gear wheels, and consumer products like wash-basins. To understand the sintering process, a variety of modeling approaches have been pursued at different scales.

The physical chemistry and materials science behind sinter-resistant catalysts.

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Yunqian; Lu, Ping; Cao, Zhenming; Campbell, Charles T; Xia, Younan

2018-06-18

Catalyst sintering, a main cause of the loss of catalytic activity and/or selectivity at high reaction temperatures, is a major concern and grand challenge in the general area of heterogeneous catalysis. Although all heterogeneous catalysts are inevitably subjected to sintering during their operation, the immediate and drastic consequences can be mitigated by carefully engineering the catalytic particles and their interactions with the supports. In this tutorial review, we highlight recent progress in understanding the physical chemistry and materials science involved in sintering, including the discussion of advanced techniques, such as in situ microscopy and spectroscopy, for investigating the sintering process and its rate. We also discuss strategies for the design and rational fabrication of sinter-resistant catalysts. Finally, we showcase recent success in improving the thermal stability and thus sinter resistance of supported catalytic systems.

Process parameter influence on Electro-sinter-forging (ESF) of titanium discs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cannella, Emanuele; Nielsen, Chris Valentin; Bay, Niels

Electro-sinter-forging (ESF) is a sintering process based on the resistance heating principle, which makes it faster than conventional sintering. The process is investigated as a function of the main process parameters, namely compacting pressure, electrical current density and sintering time....... The present work is focused on analysing the influence of these process parameters on the final density of a disc sample made from commercially pure titanium powder. Applying the design of experiments (DoE) approach, the electrical current was seen to be of largest influence. The maximum obtained density...

Effects of sintering atmosphere and initial particle size on sintering of gadolinia-doped ceria; Efeitos da atmosfera de sinterizacao e do tamanho de particula na sinterizacao da ceria-gadolinia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Batista, Rafael Morgado

2014-07-01

The effects of the sintering atmosphere and initial particle size on the sintering of ceria containing 10 mol% gadolinia (GdO{sub 1.5}) were systematically investigated. The main physical parameter was the specific surface area of the initial powders. Nanometric powders with three different specific surface areas were utilized, 210 m{sup 2}/g, 36,2 m{sup 2}/g e 7,4 m{sup 2}/g. The influence on the densification, and micro structural evolution were evaluated. The starting sintering temperature was verified to decrease with increasing on the specific surface area of raw powders. The densification was accelerated for the materials with smaller particle size. Sintering paths for crystallite growth were obtained. Master sintering curves for gadolinium-doped ceria were constructed for all initial powders. A computational program was developed for this purpose. The results for apparent activation energy showed noticeable dependence with specific surface area. In this work, the apparent activation energy for densification increased with the initial particle size of powders. The evolution of the particle size distributions on non isothermal sintering was investigated by WPPM method. It was verified that the grain growth controlling mechanism on gadolinia doped ceria is the pore drag for initial stage and beginning of intermediate stage. The effects of the sintering atmosphere on the stoichiometry deviation of ceria, densification, microstructure evolution, and electrical conductivity were analyzed. Inert, oxidizing, and reducing atmospheres were utilized on this work. Deviations on ceria stoichiometry were verified on the bulk materials. The deviation verified was dependent of the specific surface area and sintering atmosphere. Higher reduction potential atmospheres increase Ce{sup 3+} bulk concentration after sintering. Accelerated grain growth and lower electrical conductivities were verified when reduction reactions are significantly present on sintering. (author)

Morphological analysis and modelling of sintering and of sintered materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jernot, Jean-Paul

1982-01-01

This research thesis addresses the study of solid phase sintering of metallic powders, and aims at describing as precisely as possible the different involved matter transport mechanisms, first by using a thermodynamic approach to sintering. Sintering diagrams are also used to determine prevailing mechanisms. The microstructure of sintered materials has been studied by using image quantitative analysis, thus by using a morphological approach to sintering. Morphological parameters allow, on the one hand, the evolution of powders during sintering to be followed, and, on the other hand, sintered products to be correctly characterised. Moreover, the author reports the study of the evolution of some physical properties of sintered materials with respect to their microstructure parameters. This leads to the development of a modelling of the behaviour of these materials [fr

Microwave Sintering of Ceramic Materials for Industrial Application Final Report CRADA No. TC-1116-95

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caplan, M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Tandon, R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Callis, R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2017-10-19

The goal of this project was to develop the commercial capability in the US to sinter alumina oxide ceramic parts for the semiconductor manufacturing equipment industry. We planned to use the millimeter microwave (30 GHz) sintering system first developed by IAP in Russia.

Effect of process parameters on surface oxides on chromium-alloyed steel powder during sintering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chasoglou, D.; Hryha, E.; Nyborg, L.

2013-01-01

The use of chromium in the PM steel industry today puts high demands on the choice and control of the atmosphere during the sintering process due to its high affinity to oxygen. Particular attention is required in order to control the surface chemistry of the powder which in turn is the key factor for the successful sintering and production of PM parts. Different atmosphere compositions, heating rates and green densities were employed while performing sintering trials on water atomized steel powder pre-alloyed with 3 wt.% Cr in order to evaluate the effect on surface chemical reactions. Fracture surfaces of sintered samples were examined using high resolution scanning electron microscopy combined with X-ray microanalysis. The investigation was complemented with thermogravimetric (TG) studies. Reaction products in particulate form containing strong-oxide forming elements such as Cr, Si and Mn were formed during sintering for all conditions. Processing in vacuum results in intensive inter-particle neck development during the heating stage and consequently in the excessive enclosure of surface oxide which is reflected in less good final mechanical properties. Enhanced oxide reduction was observed in samples processed in hydrogen-containing atmospheres independent of the actual content in the range of 3–10 vol.%. An optimum heating rate was required for balancing reduction/oxidation processes. A simple model for the enclosure and growth of oxide inclusions during the sinter-neck development is proposed. The obtained results show that significant reduction of the oxygen content can be achieved by adjusting the atmosphere purity/composition. - Highlights: ► A local atmosphere microclimate is very important for sintering of PM steels. ► High risk of surface oxide enclosure between 800 and 1000 °C. ► Coalescence and agglomeration of enclosed oxides take place during sintering. ► The effect of different process parameters on the oxide reduction is examined. ► A

Process parameter influence on Electro-sinter-forging (ESF) of titanium discs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cannella, Emanuele; Nielsen, Chris Valentin; Bay, Niels

Electro-sinter-forging (ESF) is an innovative sintering process based on the principle of electrical Joule heating. The electrical current is flowing through the powder compact, which is under mechanical pressure. As compared to conventional sintering [1] and spark plasma sintering [2], the main...... advantages are the decreased sintering time and high relative density [3]. Near net-shape components can be manufactured and post-removal processing is limited to surface polishing. The present work is focused on analysing the influence of the main process parameters, namely compacting pressure, sintering...... time and electrical current density, on the final density of a disc sample made from commercially pure titanium powder. The maximum achieved relative density was 94% of the bulk density of pure titanium. The density estimation was carried out by using both Archimedes’ and 3D scanning....

Debinding and Sintering of an Injection-Moulded Hypereutectic Al⁻Si Alloy.

Science.gov (United States)

Ni, Jiaqi; Yu, Muhuo; Han, Keqing

2018-05-16

Hypereutectic Al⁻Si (20 wt.%) alloy parts were fabricated by employing a powder injection moulding (PIM) technique with a developed multi-component binder system composed of high-density polyethylene (35 wt.%), carnauba wax (62 wt.%) and stearic acid (3 wt.%). The feedstocks contained 83 wt.% metal powders. The debinding process was carried out by a combination of solvent extraction and thermal decomposition. The effects of solvent debinding variables such as kind of solvents, debinding temperatures and time, and the bulk surface area to volume ratios on the debinding process were investigated. Thermal debinding and the subsequent sintering process were carried out in a heating sequence under a nitrogen atmosphere. The influences of sintering temperature and sintering time on the mechanical properties and structure were considered. Under the optimal sintering condition, sintering at 550 °C for 3 h, the final sintering parts were free of distortion and exhibited good mechanical properties. Relative sintered density, Brinell hardness, and tensile strength were ~95.5%, 58 HBW and ~154, respectively.

Low density, variation in sintered density and high nitrogen in uranium dioxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balakrishna, Palanki; Murty, B.N.; Anuradha, M.; Nageshwara Rao, P.; Jayaraj, R.N.; Ganguly, C.

2000-01-01

Low sintered density and density variation in sintered UO 2 were found to have been caused by non uniformity in the granule feed characteristics to the compacting press. The nitrogen impurity content of sintered UO 2 was found to be sintering furnace related and associated with low sintered density pellets. The problems of low density, variation in sintered density and high nitrogen could be solved by the replacement of the prevailing four punch precompaction by a single punch process; by the introduction of a vibro-sieve for the separation of fine particles from the press feed granules; by innovation in the powder feed shoe design for simultaneous and uniform dispensing of powder in all the die holes; by increasing the final compaction pressure and by modifying the gas flows and preheat temperature in the sintering furnace. (author)

Influence of sintering atmospheres on the aluminium sintering characteristics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mintzer, S.; Bermudez Belkys, S.

1993-01-01

This paper describes the aluminium powder (Al) cool compacted (at 95% from theoretical density) which was sintered at 903 K during 4 hours at different atmospheres; oxidizing (air), inert Argon (Ar), Nitrogen (N) and high vacuum. The results obtained show: a) porosity measurements; greater porosity when sintering in Ar and air. b) Metallographic and Scanning observations: many fine pores (< 1 μm) and pore lines distributed at random, at air sintering and greater pores distributed preferentially near the surface, in Ar and N atmospheres. c) Dimensional changes: tendency to contraction of the samples at N and vacuum sintering and expansion in Ar or air. d) Mechanical properties: greater strength and fluence stresses at air and N sintering. The analysis of the results is performed considering sintering modes in presence of an oxide layer and dropped inert gases. (Author)

Novel approaches for the in situ study of the sintering of nuclear oxide fuel materials and their surrogates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Clavier, Nicolas; Nkou Bouala, Galy Ingrid; Dacheux, Nicolas; Podor, Renaud [Montpellier Univ., Bagnols sur Ceze (France). ICSM - UMR 5257 CEA/CNRS/ENSCM; Lechelle, Jacques [CEA, DNE, DEC, SESC, LLCC, St-Paul lez Durance (France); Martinez, Julien [CEA, DEN, DTEC, SECA, LFC, Bagnols sur Ceze (France)

2017-07-01

Sintering is one of the key-points of the processing of ceramic materials. It is then of primary interest for the nuclear fuel cycle, in which it constitutes an important step in the fabrication of either UO{sub 2} or (U,Pu)O{sub 2} pellets used in current PWR reactors. The sintering of actinides oxides not only drives the final density and microstructure of the fuels, but also several characteristics that can impact significantly their behavior in the reactor. Dedicated tools are then needed to monitor the microstructure of such materials and forecast their evolution. In this frame, this paper presents the new potentialities offered by the use of environmental scanning electron microscope at high temperature (HT-ESEM) for the study of nuclear ceramics sintering. First, the results obtained from bulk pellets are detailed, either regarding original fundamental data at the grain level (such as grain boundaries and pores motion), or design of dedicated microstructures through the assessment of grain growth kinetics. Acquisition of sintering maps thanks to the combination of HT-ESEM observations and classical dilatometric measurements are also addressed. In a second part, observations undertaken at the 2-grain scale to monitor the first stage of sintering, dedicated to neck elaboration, are presented, and compared to the results currently provided by numerical models.

Boric oxide or boric acid sintering aid for sintering ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lawler, H.A.

1979-01-01

The invention described relates to the use of liquid sintering aid in processes involving sintering of ceramic materials to produce dense, hard articles having industrial uses. Although the invention is specifically discussed in regard to compositions containing silicon carbide as the ceramic material, other sinterable carbides, for example, titanium carbide, may be utilized as the ceramic material. A liquid sintering aid for densifying ceramic material is selected from solutions of H 3 BO 3 , B 2 O 3 and mixtures of these solutions. In sintering ceramic articles, e.g. silicon carbide, a shaped green body is formed from a particulate ceramic material and a resin binder, and the green body is baked at a temperature of 500 to 1000 0 C to form a porous body. The liquid sintering aid of B 2 O 3 and/or H 3 BO 3 is then dispersed through the porous body and the treated body is sintered at a temperature of 1900 to 2200 0 C to produce the sintered ceramic article. (U.K.)

Sintering of MSW fly ash for reuse as a concrete aggregate.

Science.gov (United States)

Mangialardi, T

2001-10-12

The sintering process of municipal solid waste (MSW) fly ash was investigated in order to manufacture sintered products for reuse as concrete aggregates. Four types of fly ash resulting from different Italian MSW incineration plants were tested in this study. A modification of the chemical composition of MSW fly ash--through a preliminary four-stage washing treatment of this material with water--was attempted to improve the chemical and mechanical characteristics of sintered products.The sintering treatment of untreated or washed fly ash was performed on cylindrical compact specimens (15 mm in diameter and 20mm in height) at different compact pressures, sintering temperatures and times.The sintering process of untreated MSW fly ashes proved to be ineffective for manufacturing sintered products for reuse as a construction material, because of the adverse chemical characteristics of these fly ashes in terms of sulfate, chloride, and vitrifying oxide contents.A preliminary washing treatment of MSW fly ash with water greatly improved the chemical and mechanical characteristics of sintered products and, for all the types of fly ash tested, the sintered products satisfied the Italian requirements for normal weight aggregates for use in concretes having a specified strength not greater than 12 and 15N/mm(2), when measured on cylindrical and cubic specimens, respectively.A compact pressure of 28 N/mm(2), a sintering temperature of 1140 degrees C, and a sintering time of 60 min were the best operating conditions for manufacturing sintered products of washed MSW fly ash.

Electric-Loading Enhanced Kinetics in Oxide Ceramics: Pore Migration, Sintering and Grain Growth: Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, I-Wei [Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States). Dept. of Materials Science & Engineering

2018-02-02

Solid oxide fuel cells and solid oxide electrolysis cells rely on solid electrolytes in which a large ionic current dominates. This project was initiated to investigate microstructural changes in such devices under electrochemical forces, because nominally insignificant processes may couple to the large ionic current to yield non-equilibrium phenomena that alter the microstructure. Our studies had focused on yttria-stabilized cubic zirconia (YSZ) widely used in these devices. The experiments have revealed enhanced grain growth at higher temperatures, pore and gas bubble migration at all temperatures, and the latter also lead to enhanced sintering of highly porous ceramics into fully dense ceramics at unprecedentedly low temperatures. These results have shed light on kinetic processes that fall completely outside the realm of classical ceramic processing. Other fast-oxygen oxide ceramics closely related to, and often used in conjunction with zirconia ceramics, have also be investigated, as are closely related scientific problems in zirconia ceramics. These include crystal structures, defects, diffusion kinetics, oxygen potentials, low temperature sintering, flash sintering, and coarsening theory, and all have resulted in greater clarity in scientific understanding. The knowledge is leveraged to provide new insight to electrode kinetics and near-electrode mixed conductivity and to new materials. In the following areas, our research has resulted in completely new knowledge that defines the state-of-the-art of the field. (a) Electrical current driven non-equilibrium phenomena, (b) Enhanced grain growth under electrochemically reducing conditions, (c) Development of oxygen potential polarization in electrically loaded electrolyte, (d) Low temperature sintering and grain growth, and (e) Structure, defects and cation kinetics of fluorite-structured oxides. Our research has also contributed to synthesis of new energy-relevant electrochemical materials and new understanding

Study of automatic boat loading unit and horizontal sintering process of uranium dioxide pellet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He Zhongjing; Chen Yu; Yao Dengfeng; Wang Youliang; Shu Binhua; Wu Genjiu

2014-01-01

Sintering process is a key process for the manufacture of nuclear fuel UO_2 pellet. In our factory, the continuous high temperature sintering furnace is used for sintering process. During the sintering of green pellets, the furnace, the boat and the accumulation way can influence the quality of the final product. In this text, on the basis of early process research, The automatic loading boat Unit and horizontal sintering process is studied successively. The results show that the physical and chemical properties of the products manufactured by automatic loading boat unit and horizontal sintering process can meet the technique requirements completely, and this system is reliable and continuous. (authors)

Debinding and Sintering of an Injection-Moulded Hypereutectic Al–Si Alloy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiaqi Ni

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Hypereutectic Al–Si (20 wt.% alloy parts were fabricated by employing a powder injection moulding (PIM technique with a developed multi-component binder system composed of high-density polyethylene (35 wt.%, carnauba wax (62 wt.% and stearic acid (3 wt.%. The feedstocks contained 83 wt.% metal powders. The debinding process was carried out by a combination of solvent extraction and thermal decomposition. The effects of solvent debinding variables such as kind of solvents, debinding temperatures and time, and the bulk surface area to volume ratios on the debinding process were investigated. Thermal debinding and the subsequent sintering process were carried out in a heating sequence under a nitrogen atmosphere. The influences of sintering temperature and sintering time on the mechanical properties and structure were considered. Under the optimal sintering condition, sintering at 550 °C for 3 h, the final sintering parts were free of distortion and exhibited good mechanical properties. Relative sintered density, Brinell hardness, and tensile strength were ~95.5%, 58 HBW and ~154, respectively.

Sintering-alkaline processing of borosilicate ores of Tajikistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nazarov, F.A.

2018-01-01

determined and rational conditions of the sintering process have been found: the sintering temperature is 800-8500 deg C, the process duration is 60 minutes with mass ratio of NaOH to the raw material of 1: 1. Decomposition conditions of the calcined boron concentrate, where the maximum recovery of the boron product was 92, 8% have been defined. The results of studies on elaboration of basic technological scheme of boron products obtaining from borosilicate ores of Ak-Arkhar Deposit by sintering method have been discussed. The flowsheet of obtaining of boron products from the borosilicate ores of Ak-Arkhar Deposit by sintering-alkaline method have been developed. The process consists of the following stages: baking at 900-950 deg C, alkaline sintering, leaching with water at 80 deg C, pulp filtration, crystallization of the product, separation and drying. (author)

Microstructural evaluation of the NbC-20Ni cemented carbides during sintering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodrigues, D.; Cannizza, E.

2016-01-01

Full text: Fine carbides in a metallic matrix (binder) form the microstructure of the cemented carbides. Grain size and binder content are the main variables to adjust hardness and toughness. These products are produced by Powder Metallurgy, and traditional route involves mixing carbides with binder by high energy milling, pressing and sintering. During sintering, a liquid phase promotes densification, and a final relative density higher than 99% is expected. Sintering is carried out at high temperatures, and dissolution of the carbides changes the chemical composition of the binder. To control grain growth of the main carbide, which reduces hardness, small quantities of secondary carbides are used. These additives limit dissolution and precipitation of the main carbides reducing the final grain size. This paper focused the structural and chemical evolution during sintering using NbC-20Ni cermets. Mixtures of very fine NbC carbides and carbonyl Ni powders were produce by intense milling. These mixtures were pressed using uniaxial pressures from 50 to 200MPa. Shrinkage was evaluated using dilatometric measurements under an atmosphere of dynamic argon. Samples were also sintered under vacuum in high temperature industrial furnace. The sintered samples were characterized in terms of density hardness, toughness and microstructure. DRX was the main tool used to evaluate the structural evolution of the binder. In situ chemical analysis helped to understand the dissolution mechanisms. (author)

Laser Sintering Technology and Balling Phenomenon.

Science.gov (United States)

Oyar, Perihan

2018-02-01

The aim of this review was to evaluate the balling phenomenon which occurs typically in Selective Laser Sintering (SLS). The balling phenomenon is a typical SLS defect, and observed in laser sintered powder, significantly reduces the quality of SLS, and hinders the further development of SLS Technology. Electronic database searches were performed using Google Scholar. The keywords "laser sintering, selective laser sintering, direct metal laser melting, and balling phenomenon" were searched in title/abstract of publications, limited to December 31, 2016. The inclusion criteria were SLS, balling phenomenon, some alloys (such as Cr-Co, iron, stainless steel, and Cu-based alloys) mechanical properties, microstructure and bond strength between metal-ceramic crown, laboratory studies, full text, and in English language. A total of 100 articles were found the initial search and yielded a total of 50 studies, 30 of which did not fulfill the inclusion criteria and were therefore excluded. In addition, 20 studies were found by screening the reference list of all included publications. Finally, 40 studies were selected for this review. The method in question is regulated by powder material characteristics and the conditions of laser processing. The procedure of formation, affecting factors, and the mechanism of the balling effect are very complex.

Relación entre los mecanismos de difusión atómica y las propiedades ópticas en la sinterización por Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS de la alúmina.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Torrecillas, R.

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The control of the sintering parameters during spark plasma sintering (SPS of polycrystalline alumina allows modifying the contribution due to the different atomic diffusion mechanisms. Thus, changing the heating rate as a function of the sintering stage allows tailoring sintering cycles that optimize the final density of the material with a minimal grain growth. It is shown in this work how by using two heating rates, 100 and 4ºC/min, allows obtaining a polycrystalline transparent alumina with a higher real in-line transmittance than that obtained with constant heating rates sintering cycles.

El control de los parámetros de sinterización de la alúmina policristalina por spark plasma sintering (SPS permite modificar la contribución de los diferentes mecanismos de difusión atómica. Así, variar la rampa de calentamiento en función de la etapa de sinterización permite diseñar ciclos de sinterización que optimizan la densidad final del material con un mínimo crecimiento de grano. En este trabajo se demuestra cómo empleando dos velocidades, 100 y 4ºC/min, es posible obtener una alúmina policristalina con una transmitancia real en línea superior a la obtenida en ciclos con rampas constantes.

Liquid Phase Sintering of (Ti,Zr)C with WC-Co.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Taoran; Borrajo-Pelaez, Rafael; Hedström, Peter; Blomqvist, Andreas; Borgh, Ida; Norgren, Susanne; Odqvist, Joakim

2017-01-11

(Ti,Zr)C powder was sintered with WC-Co following an industrial process, including an isotherm at 1410 °C. A series of interrupted sintering trials was performed with the aim of studying the sintering behavior and the microstructural evolution during both solid-state and liquid-state sintering. Reference samples, using the same elemental compositions but with the starting components TiC and ZrC instead of (Ti,Zr)C, were also sintered. The microstructure was investigated using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. It is found that the (Ti,Zr)C phase decomposes into Ti-rich and Zr-rich nano-scale lamellae before the liquid-state of the sintering initiates. The final microstructure consists of the binder and WC as well as two different γ phases, rich in either Ti (γ₁) or Zr (γ₂). The γ₂ phase grains have a core-shell structure with a (Ti,Zr)C core following the full sintering cycle. The major differences observed in (Ti,Zr)C with respect to the reference samples after the full sintering cycle were the referred core-shell structure and the carbide grain sizes; additionally, the microstructural evolution during sintering differs. The grain size of carbides (WC, γ₁, and γ₂) is about 10% smaller in WC-(Ti,Zr)C-Co than WC-TiC-ZrC-Co. The shrinkage behavior and hardness of both composites are reported and discussed.

Liquid Phase Sintering of (Ti,ZrC with WC-Co

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taoran Ma

2017-01-01

Full Text Available (Ti,ZrC powder was sintered with WC-Co following an industrial process, including an isotherm at 1410 °C. A series of interrupted sintering trials was performed with the aim of studying the sintering behavior and the microstructural evolution during both solid-state and liquid-state sintering. Reference samples, using the same elemental compositions but with the starting components TiC and ZrC instead of (Ti,ZrC, were also sintered. The microstructure was investigated using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. It is found that the (Ti,ZrC phase decomposes into Ti-rich and Zr-rich nano-scale lamellae before the liquid-state of the sintering initiates. The final microstructure consists of the binder and WC as well as two different γ phases, rich in either Ti (γ1 or Zr (γ2. The γ2 phase grains have a core-shell structure with a (Ti,ZrC core following the full sintering cycle. The major differences observed in (Ti,ZrC with respect to the reference samples after the full sintering cycle were the referred core-shell structure and the carbide grain sizes; additionally, the microstructural evolution during sintering differs. The grain size of carbides (WC, γ1, and γ2 is about 10% smaller in WC-(Ti,ZrC-Co than WC-TiC-ZrC-Co. The shrinkage behavior and hardness of both composites are reported and discussed.

Effects of sintering temperature on the mechanical properties of sintered NdFeB permanent magnets prepared by spark plasma sintering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, G.P.; Liu, W.Q.; Huang, Y.L.; Ma, S.C.; Zhong, Z.C.

2014-01-01

Sintered NdFeB-based permanent magnets were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) and a conventional method to investigate the mechanical and magnetic properties. The experimental results showed that sintered NdFeB magnet prepared by the spark plasma sintering (SPS NdFeB) possesses a better mechanical properties compared to the conventionally sintered one, of which the maximum value of bending strength and Vickers hardness was 402.3 MPa and 778.1 MPa, respectively. The effects of sintering temperature on bending strength and Vickers hardness were investigated. It was shown that the bending strength firstly increases to the maximum value and then decreases with the increase of sintering temperature in a certain range. The investigations of microstructures and mechanical properties indicated that the unique sintering mechanism in the SPS process is responsible for the improvement of mechanical properties of SPS NdFeB. Furthermore, the relations between the mechanical properties and relevant microstructure have been analyzed based on the experimental fact. - Highlights: • Studied the sintering temperature effect on strengthening mechanism of NdFeB magnet firstly. • It showed that sintering temperature may effectively affect the mechanical properties. • The maximum bending strength and Vickers hardness was 402.3 MPa and 778.1 MPa, respectively

Effects of sintering temperature on the mechanical properties of sintered NdFeB permanent magnets prepared by spark plasma sintering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, G.P., E-mail: wgp@jxnu.edu.cn [College of Physics and Communication Electronics, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022 (China); Liu, W.Q. [Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Materials Science and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100022 (China); Huang, Y.L.; Ma, S.C.; Zhong, Z.C. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063 (China)

2014-01-15

Sintered NdFeB-based permanent magnets were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) and a conventional method to investigate the mechanical and magnetic properties. The experimental results showed that sintered NdFeB magnet prepared by the spark plasma sintering (SPS NdFeB) possesses a better mechanical properties compared to the conventionally sintered one, of which the maximum value of bending strength and Vickers hardness was 402.3 MPa and 778.1 MPa, respectively. The effects of sintering temperature on bending strength and Vickers hardness were investigated. It was shown that the bending strength firstly increases to the maximum value and then decreases with the increase of sintering temperature in a certain range. The investigations of microstructures and mechanical properties indicated that the unique sintering mechanism in the SPS process is responsible for the improvement of mechanical properties of SPS NdFeB. Furthermore, the relations between the mechanical properties and relevant microstructure have been analyzed based on the experimental fact. - Highlights: • Studied the sintering temperature effect on strengthening mechanism of NdFeB magnet firstly. • It showed that sintering temperature may effectively affect the mechanical properties. • The maximum bending strength and Vickers hardness was 402.3 MPa and 778.1 MPa, respectively.

Studies on the sintering behaviour of uranium dioxide powder compacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, P.; Chowdhury, R.

1988-01-01

Uranium dioxide fuel pellets are normally made from their precursor ammonium diuranate, followed by calcination, subsequent reduction to sinterable grade powders and a post operation treatment of pressing and sintering. The low temperature calcined powders, usually exhibiting non-crystalline behaviour (under X-ray diffraction studies) progressively transforms into a crystalline variety on subsequent heat treatment at higher temperature. It is observed however that powders calcined between 800 to 900 0 C exhibit enhanced densification behaviour when sintered at higher temperatures. The isothermal shrinkage versus time plot of the sintered compacts are well described by a hyperbolic relationship which takes care of the observed shrinkage (λ) as caused due to a cumulative effect from the initial sintering of the powder compacts at zero time (α) and that caused due to the structural transformation from a non-crystalline modification with increased thermal treatment (β). The derived equation is a modification of the sintering mechanism of the viscous flow type proposed by Frenkel, involving sintering of an amorphous phase, the viscosity of the latter is presumed to increase with increasing thermal treatment to assume the final modified form as λ=t/(α+βt), where t = time, λ = shrinkage and α and β are the unknown parameters. (orig.)

Effect of increasing lanthanum substitution and the sintering ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Administrator

University of Hyderabad, P.O. Central University, Hyderabad 500 046, India. MS received 27 ... sintering can cause problems in the stoichiometry of the final product owing to ..... Rambabu greatfully acknowledges the financial support from the ...

An investigation in texturing high Tc superconducting ceramics by creep sintering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Regnier, P.; Deschanels, X.; Maurice, F.; Schmirgeld, L.; Aguillon, C.; Senoussi, S.; Mac Carthy, M.; Tatlock, G.J.

1991-01-01

We study in detail the possibility of high-T c superconducting ceramics texturing by high pressing them during sintering. We show texture variations as a function of the applied load, of the deformation, of the temperature, and of the sintering stage length, of the rate of variation of temperature, of the material nature in contact with ceramic and of the original powder quality. We present results obtained by optical microscopy, electronic microscopy, X-rays, and local chemical analysis

Laser-Induced Reductive Sintering of Nickel Oxide Nanoparticles under Ambient Conditions

KAUST Repository

Paeng, Dongwoo; Lee, Daeho; Yeo, Junyeob; Yoo, Jae-Hyuck; Allen, Frances I.; Kim, Eunpa; So, Hongyun; Park, Hee K.; Minor, Andrew M.; Grigoropoulos, Costas P.

2015-01-01

© 2015 American Chemical Society. This work is concerned with the kinetics of laser-induced reductive sintering of nonstoichiometric crystalline nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles (NPs) under ambient conditions. The mechanism of photophysical reductive sintering upon irradiation using a 514.5 nm continuous-wave (CW) laser on NiO NP thin films has been studied through modulating the laser power density and illumination time. Protons produced due to high-temperature decomposition of the solvent present in the NiO NP ink, oxygen vacancies in the NiO NPs, and electronic excitation in the NiO NPs by laser irradiation all affect the early stage of the reductive sintering process. Once NiO NPs are reduced by laser irradiation to Ni, they begin to coalesce, forming a conducting material. In situ optical and electrical measurements during the reductive sintering process take advantage of the distinct differences between the oxide and the metallic phases to monitor the transient evolution of the process. We observe four regimes: oxidation, reduction, sintering, and reoxidation. A characteristic time scale is assigned to each regime.

Laser-Induced Reductive Sintering of Nickel Oxide Nanoparticles under Ambient Conditions

KAUST Repository

Paeng, Dongwoo

2015-03-19

© 2015 American Chemical Society. This work is concerned with the kinetics of laser-induced reductive sintering of nonstoichiometric crystalline nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles (NPs) under ambient conditions. The mechanism of photophysical reductive sintering upon irradiation using a 514.5 nm continuous-wave (CW) laser on NiO NP thin films has been studied through modulating the laser power density and illumination time. Protons produced due to high-temperature decomposition of the solvent present in the NiO NP ink, oxygen vacancies in the NiO NPs, and electronic excitation in the NiO NPs by laser irradiation all affect the early stage of the reductive sintering process. Once NiO NPs are reduced by laser irradiation to Ni, they begin to coalesce, forming a conducting material. In situ optical and electrical measurements during the reductive sintering process take advantage of the distinct differences between the oxide and the metallic phases to monitor the transient evolution of the process. We observe four regimes: oxidation, reduction, sintering, and reoxidation. A characteristic time scale is assigned to each regime.

Sinterability and microstructure evolution during sintering of ferrous powder mixtures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kétner Bendo Demétrio

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The present work is focused on ferrous powder metallurgy and presents some results of a development of a suitable masteralloy for use as an additive to iron powder for the production of sintered steels. The masteralloy was produced by melting a powder mixture containing approximately Fe + 20% Ni + 20% Mn + 20% Si + 1% C (wt%, in order to obtain a cast billet that was converted into fine powder by crushing and milling. It was observed presence of SiC in the masteralloy after melting that is undesirable in the alloy. Si element should be introduced by using ferrosilicon. Sintered alloys with distinct contents of alloying elements were prepared by mixing the masteralloy powder to plain iron powder. Samples were produced by die compaction of the powder mixtures and sintering at 1200 °C in a differential dilatometer in order to record their linear dimensional behaviour during heating up and isothermal sintering, aiming at studying the sinterability of the compacts. Microstructure development during sintering was studied by SEM, XRD and microprobe analyses.

Titanium Powder Sintering in a Graphite Furnace and Mechanical Properties of Sintered Parts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Changzhou Yu

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Recent accreditation of titanium powder products for commercial aircraft applications marks a milestone in titanium powder metallurgy. Currently, powder metallurgical titanium production primarily relies on vacuum sintering. This work reported on the feasibility of powder sintering in a non-vacuum furnace and the tensile properties of the as-sintered Ti. Specifically, we investigated atmospheric sintering of commercially pure (C.P. titanium in a graphite furnace backfilled with argon and studied the effects of common contaminants (C, O, N on sintering densification of titanium. It is found that on the surface of the as-sintered titanium, a severely contaminated porous scale was formed and identified as titanium oxycarbonitride. Despite the porous surface, the sintered density in the sample interiors increased with increasing sintering temperature and holding time. Tensile specimens cut from different positions within a large sintered cylinder reveal different tensile properties, strongly dependent on the impurity level mainly carbon and oxygen. Depending on where the specimen is taken from the sintered compact, ultimate tensile strength varied from 300 to 580 MPa. An average tensile elongation of 5% to 7% was observed. Largely depending on the interstitial contents, the fracture modes from typical brittle intergranular fracture to typical ductile fracture.

Sintering of Cu–Al2O3 nano-composite powders produced by a thermochemical route

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MARIJA KORAC

2007-11-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the synthesis of nano-composite Cu–Al2O3 powder by a thermochemical method and sintering, with a comparative analysis of the mechanical and electrical properties of the obtained solid samples. Nano-crystalline Cu–Al2O3 powders were produced by a thermochemical method through the following stages: spray-drying, oxidation of the precursor powder, reduction by hydrogen and homogenization. Characterization of powders included analytical electron microscopy (AEM coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS, differenttial thermal and thermogravimetric (DTA–TGA analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD analysis. The size of the produced powders was 20–50 nm, with a noticeable presence of agglomerates. The composite powders were characterized by a homogenous distribution of Al2O3 in a copper matrix. The powders were cold pressed at a pressure of 500 MPa and sintered in a hydrogen atmosphere under isothermal conditions in the temperature range from 800 to 900 °C for up to 120 min. Characterization of the Cu–Al2O3 sintered system included determination of the density, relative volume change, electrical and mechanical properties, examination of the microstructure by SEM and focused ion beam (FIB analysis, as well as by EDS. The obtained nano-composite, the structure of which was, with certain changes, presserved in the final structure, provided a sintered material with a homogenеous distribution of dispersoid in a copper matrix, with exceptional effects of reinforcement and an excellent combination of mechanical and electrical properties.

Conventional and two step sintering of PZT-PCN ceramics

Science.gov (United States)

Keshavarzi, Mostafa; Rahmani, Hooman; Nemati, Ali; Hashemi, Mahdieh

2018-02-01

In this study, PZT-PCN ceramic was made via sol-gel seeding method and effects of conventional sintering (CS) as well as two-step sintering (TSS) were investigated on microstructure, phase formation, density, dielectric and piezoelectric properties. First, high quality powder was achieved by seeding method in which the mixture of Co3O4 and Nb2O5 powder was added to the prepared PZT sol to form PZT-PCN gel. After drying and calcination, pyrochlore free PZT-PCN powder was synthesized. Second, CS and TSS were applied to achieve dense ceramic. The optimum temperature used for 2 h of conventional sintering was obtained at 1150 °C; finally, undesired ZrO2 phase formed in CS procedure was removed successfully with TSS procedure and dielectric and piezoelectric properties were improved compared to the CS procedure. The best electrical properties obtained for the sample sintered by TSS in the initial temperature of T 1 = 1200 °C and secondary temperature of T 2 = 1000 °C for 12 h.

An investigation on preparation of CIGS targets by sintering process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang Ning, E-mail: zhn98@126.co [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Zhuang Daming; Zhang Gong [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

2010-01-15

Pressureless sintering process was used to fabricate CIGS targets with Cu{sub 2}Se, In{sub 2}Se{sub 3}, and Ga{sub 2}Se{sub 3} as raw powders mixed according to the stoichiometry of CuIn{sub 0.72}Ga{sub 0.28}Se{sub 2} (CIGS). The results showed that only CuIn{sub 0.7}Ga{sub 0.3}Se{sub 2} phase can be detected in the sintered targets. The pores in sintered specimen become smaller and distribute more homogeneously under the conditions of finer powders and higher cold pressure. Both mass loss caused by the formation of volatile phase relating to Ga and volume expansion occur during the sintering process, which result in the decrease of density. The tendency of anti-densification becomes stronger under the conditions of coarser powders and higher cold pressure. The sintering process and causes for anti-densification were discussed. Finally, a hot pressing process was carried out, which was proved to be fairly effective to increase the density of CIGS target. The fabricated target can be used for magnetron-sputtering deposition of CIGS absorbers.

Influence of sintering time on distribution of alloying elements composition in Zircaloy pellet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sigit; Muchlis B; Widjaksana; Eric, J.; Suryana, RA; Gunawan

1996-01-01

Influence of sintering time on distribution of alloying elements composition in zircaloy pellet has been studied. Zircaloy pellets were obtained by pressing of Zr, Fe, Cr and Sn powders mixture in adequate composition of zircaloy-4, than the green pellets were sintered at 1100 o C for 1 - 3 hours. The alloying elements (Fe, Cr and Sn) composition in zircaloy pellets as sintering product were determined by Scanning Electron Microscope - Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analyser (SEM-EDAX). The experiments showed that there was an accumulation of Sn in a site of the zircaloy green pellet of 17.46 %, but after sintering process, the Sn was distributed everywhere. The influence of sintering time up to 1 hour showed a decreasing Sn composition from 9 % to 2 % which then relatively constant, while for Fe and Cr its decreasing was relatively small, i.e. : 1.86 % to 0.6 % and 1.04 % to 0.17 % respectively. The sintering process revealed no clear grain boundaries and powder homogenization did not complete. Observation on metallographic photos showed that this condition was in initial stage of sintering process where there was a complex phenomenon i.e.: no powder homogenization in green pellet or initial heating rate was extremely quick

Modeling Macroscopic Shape Distortions during Sintering of Multi-layers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tadesse Molla, Tesfaye

as to help achieve defect free multi-layer components. The initial thickness ratio between the layers making the multi-layer has also significant effect on the extent of camber evolution depending on the material systems. During sintering of tubular bi-layer structures, tangential (hoop) stresses are very...... large compared to radial stresses. The maximum value of hoop stress, which can generate processing defects such as cracks and coating peel-offs, occurs at the beginning of the sintering cycle. Unlike most of the models defining material properties based on porosity and grain size only, the multi...... (firing). However, unintended features like shape instabilities of samples, cracks or delamination of layers may arise during sintering of multi-layer composites. Among these defects, macroscopic shape distortions in the samples can cause problems in the assembly or performance of the final component...

Finite element modeling of camber evolution during sintering of bi-layers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tadesse Molla, Tesfaye; Ni, De Wei; Bulatova, Regina

2014-01-01

The need for understanding the mechanisms and optimization of shape distortions during sintering of bilayers is necessary while producing structures with functionally graded architectures. A finite element model based on the continuum theory of sintering was developed to understand the camber...... developments during sintering of bilayers composed of La0.85Sr0.15MnO3 and Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95 tapes. Free shrinkage kinetics of both tapes were used to estimate the parameters necessary for the finite element models. Systematic investigations of the factors affecting the kinetics of distortions such as gravity...... and friction as well as the initial geometric parameters of the bilayers were made using optical dilatometry experiments and the model. The developed models were able to capture the observed behaviors of the bilayers’ distortions during sintering. Finally, we present the importance of understanding and hence...

Microstructure and properties of TiC-high manganese steel cermet prepared by different sintering processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Zhi; Lin, Tao, E-mail: lintao@ustb.edu.cn; He, Xinbo; Shao, Huiping; Zheng, Jianshu; Qu, Xuanhui

2015-11-25

In the paper, the TiC −50 wt.% high manganese steel cermet was made with different sintering processes including vacuum sintering, hot pressing, microwave sintering and spark plasma sintering (SPS). The microstructure, porosity and fracture morphology of the samples were analyzed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Phase analysis was carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The density, hardness, transverse rupture strength (TRS) and wear resistance were investigated for the effect of the sintering processes. The results showed that the core–shell structure was not clearly observed for the TiC particles in microstructures and the high manganese steel matrix is BCC structure. Hot pressing, microwave sintering and SPS are useful processes for densification of the cermet. Nearly full density and higher hardness can be reached by these three processes at a lower sintering temperature and in a shorter sintering time. However, higher TRS can be reached by means of alloying completely in a longer sintering time, for example vacuum sintering. Pre-sintering in a long sintering time at a lower sintering temperature is also useful for improving the TRS. Finally, vacuum sintering is an effective process for producing this composite with the lowest cost in the mass production. - Highlights: • TiC-high manganese steel cermets were prepared by four sintering processes. • The core–shell structure was not clearly observed for the TiC particles in microstructures. • Th high manganese steel matrix is BCC structure instead of FCC structure. • Pre-sintering before microwave sintering is also useful for improving the TRS. • Vacuum sintering can be effective way for prepare this cermet in mass production.

Science of sintering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuczynski, G.

1977-01-01

Although the methods of integration of materials by sintering, have been used since the early history of humanity, the actual understanding of the process involved came only in the last three decades. As in the most human endeavors, the art preceded theory. The comprehension of the elementary processes occuring during sintering comes from the studies of model system. Although the elementary processes occuring during sintering are today quite well understood, the problem of shrinkage of a powder compact which was at the origin of Sintering Science is still far from solved. This is due to the complexity of the internal geometry of the compacts. The recent attempts to apply statistics to this problem, seem to offer some promise

A study on some properties of sintered stainless steel powder compacts with sintering conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Bang Sik; Kim, Kwan Hyu; Lee, Doh Jae; Choi, Dap Chun

1986-01-01

Sintered specimens for the mechanical and corrosion tests were prepared from 316L, 410L and 434L stainless steel powder compacts with green densities in the range of 6.2∼7.0g/cm 3 . The experimental variables studied were green density, sintering atmosphere, temperature and time, type of lubricant used and cooling rate after sintering operation. Mechanical properties of green compacts and sintered specimens were evaluated. The corrosion tests were performed by potentiodynamic anodic polarization technique. Mechanical properties were very sensitive to the sintering atmosphere; sintering in dissociated ammonia resulted in the strengthing but embrittlement of sintered 316L, 410L and 434L strainless steel powder compacts. Their corrosion resistance was also decreased. The tensile strength was increased with increases in sintering time and temperature while the decreases in the yield strength were observed. The tensile properties of green compacts were shown to closely related to the green density. Addition of 1% acrawax as a lubricant was appeared to be most effective for the improvement of green strength. (Author)

Sintering of powders obtained by mechanical alloying of Cu-1.2 Al w%, Cu-2.3 Ti w% and Cu-2.7 V w%

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rivas, C; Sepulveda, A; Zuniga, A; Donoso, E; Palma, R

2008-01-01

This work studies the effect of compacting pressure, temperature and sintering time on density and microstructure after sintering mechanically alloyed powders of Cu-1.2 Al w%, Cu- 2.3 Ti w% and Cu-2.7 V w%. The alloys were manufactured from elementary powders of Cu, Ti, Al and V, by reactive milling. The powders were compacted and sintered under reducer atmosphere. For each alloy, the final density and resulting microstructure of 8 different compacting and sintering conditions were studied, where the following parameters were considered: (1) Compacting pressure (200 MPa and 400 MPa), (2) Sintering temperature (850 o C and 950 o C), (3) Sintering time (1h and 4h). Adjustments were made using lineal regression to describe the effect of the variation of pressure, temperature and time on the density of the materials obtained, and the morphology of the residual porosity was described by observation under an optic microscope. The final maximum density obtained was, in ascending order: Cu-V, 66% of the theoretical density, TD; Cu-Ti, 65% TD and Cu-Al, 77% TD. The reactive milling process produced flake-shaped particles, hardened by deformation, which made the alloys have a final density that was much less than the sintered pure copper (density 87% TD). This is because the hardened powder resists deformation during compacting, which creates less points of contact between particles, slows down sintering, and yields a lower density. The alloying element influenced the size of the particle obtained during the milling, which is attributed to the different milling mediums (toluene for Ti and V, methanol for Al) and to the different hardness of each ceramic when forming in the copper during milling. The bigger the particle size, the greater the green density, the lesser the densification, and the greater the final density, in accordance with the theory. For the three alloys, the increased compacting pressure gives greater green density, greater densification and a final greater

Sintering and annealing effects on undoped yttria transparent ceramics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Letue, Laetitia; Petit, Johan, E-mail: johan.petit@onera.fr; Ritti, Marie-Hélène; Lalanne, Sylvie; Landais, Stéphane

2017-06-15

Transparent yttrium oxide (Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}) ceramics were processed by several densifications steps without any doping species. The green bodies were obtained by the aqueous way and sintered at high temperature under vacuum and then under high pressure. We studied the effects of different sintering cycles and air annealing at different steps of the process on the density and the grain growth. We also focused on the reaction between yttria ceramics and BN-coated graphite crucible which occurs during HIP. We noted that a low heating rate and two annealing steps are necessary to improve our samples’ transparency. - Highlights: • The quality of transparent ceramics is compared with the tested process parameters. • Air annealing is critical when using a carbon environment in the process. • Intra-granular pores, and so the final transparency, are directly linked to the sintering heating rates.

Densification and Grain Growth during Early-stage Sintering of Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95-δ in Reducing Atmosphere

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

He, Zeming; Yuan, Hao; Glasscock, Julie

2010-01-01

The present work investigates the processes of densification and grain growth of Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95-δ (CGO10) during sintering in reducing atmosphere. Sintering variables were experimentally characterized and analyzed using defect chemistry and sintering constitutive laws. Based on the achieved...

Kinetics of UO2 sintering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ristic, M.M.

1962-01-01

Detailed conclusions related to the UO 2 sintering can be drawn from investigating the kinetics of the sintering process. This report gives an thorough analysis of the the data concerned with sintering available in the literature taking into account the Jander and Arrhenius laws. This analysis completes the study of influence of the O/U ratio and the atmosphere on the sintering. Results presented are fundamentals of future theoretical and experimental work related to characterisation of the UO 2 sintering process

Fundamentals of and experiences with forming by rolling of sintered rods of the high-melting metals molybdenum and tungsten

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kohlstrung, G.; Marx, H.; Bresch, J.; Leich, M.; Kalning, I.

1986-01-01

An efficient and economical technique for rolling sintered rods of the high-melting metals molybdenum and tungsten which comprises only a minimum of processing steps and provides crucial advantages in comparison with the conventional hammering procedure has been developed for application in medium-sized powder-metallurgical plants. The advantages are, in particular, given with the favourable structure development and the elimination of pores from the sintered bar as a result of the higher degree of deformation, increased labour productivity, savings of electrical energy and consumables, as well as a reduction of the working inconveniencies. Experiences gained in test series as well as in industrial practice indicate that final wire diameters can be obtained with a high material economy, provided that the preceding and subsequent process stages are adapted in the optimum manner dependent on the physical and chemical parameters of the starting material and the strain-hardening behaviour in the process of forming by rolling. (orig.) [de

Dental Age Estimation (DAE): Data management for tooth development stages including the third molar. Appropriate censoring of Stage H, the final stage of tooth development.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Graham J; McDonald, Fraser; Andiappan, Manoharan; Lucas, Victoria S

2015-11-01

The final stage of dental development of third molars is usually helpful to indicate whether or not a subject is aged over 18 years. A complexity is that the final stage of development is unlimited in its upper border. Investigators usually select an inappropriate upper age limit or censor point for this tooth development stage. The literature was searched for appropriate data sets for dental age estimation and those that provided the count (n), the mean (x¯), and the standard deviation (sd) for each of the tooth development stages. The Demirjian G and Demirjian H were used for this study. Upper and lower limits of the Stage G and Stage H data were calculated limiting the data to plus or minus three standard deviations from the mean. The upper border of Stage H was limited by appropriate censoring at the maximum value for Stage G. The maximum age at attainment from published data, for Stage H, ranged from 22.60 years to 34.50 years. These data were explored to demonstrate how censoring provides an estimate for the correct maximum age for the final stage of Stage H as 21.64 years for UK Caucasians. This study shows that confining the data array of individual tooth developments stages to ± 3sd provides a reliable and logical way of censoring the data for tooth development stages with a Normal distribution of data. For Stage H this is inappropriate as it is unbounded in its upper limit. The use of a censored data array for Stage H using Percentile values is appropriate. This increases the reliability of using third molar Stage H alone to determine whether or not an individual is over 18 years old. For Stage H, individual ancestral groups should be censored using the same technique. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

Investigation of the sintering mechanisms for (U,Am)O{sub 2} pellets obtained by CRMP process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caisso, M. [CEA, Centre de Marcoule, DEN, DTEC/SECA/LFC, F-30207 Bagnols-sur-Ceze (France); CEA, Centre de Marcole, DEN, DRCP/SERA/LCAR, F-30207 Bagnols-sur-Ceze (France); Institut Europeen des Membranes, UMR 5635 CNRS-ENSCM-UM, CC047, Campus Triolet, Universite de Montpellier, F-34095 Montpellier Cedex 5 (France); Boulesteix, R.; Maitre, A. [SPCTS, UMR 7315 CNRS-Universite de Limoges-ENSCI, Centre Europeen de la Ceramique, 12 Rue Atlantis, F-87068 Limoges (France); Picart, S.; Delahaye, T. [CEA, Centre de Marcole, DEN, DRCP/SERA/LCAR, F-30207 Bagnols-sur-Ceze Cedex (France); Ayral, A. [Institut Europeen des Membranes, UMR 5635 CNRS-ENSCM-UM, CC047, Campus Triolet Universite de Montpellier, F-34095 Montpellier Cedex 5 (France)

2016-07-01

The use of CRMP (Calcined Resin Microsphere Pelletization) process for AmBB (Americium Bearing Blankets) fabrication is today a key research axis in americium transmutation domain, where its very high activity requires minimization of powder dissemination. In this aim, the use of oxide microspheres as compaction precursors is a promising clean alternative to powder metallurgy. Understanding the different steps of densification during CRMP pellet sintering thus appears as fundamental to obtain final materials with the specific features required for AmBB. The densification curve recorded in dynamic conditions shows different sintering steps. A first decrease of shrinkage rate happens at low temperature, around 1100 K. This phenomenon is not normally observed in the sintering of conventional powders. Chemical and microstructural studies were performed on (U,Am)O{sub 2} and also on (Ce,Gd)O{sub 2} surrogate compound to highlight the causes of this low-temperature sintering step. Multi-scale reorganization finally appears as the sole explanation, through the sintering of nano-metric aggregate present in the green pellet and related to the morphology of the starting microspheres employed as pelletization precursors. (authors)

A Novel Process for Joining Ti Alloy and Al Alloy using Two-Stage Sintering Powder Metallurgy

Science.gov (United States)

Long, Luping; Liu, Wensheng; Ma, Yunzhu; Wu, Lei; Liu, Chao

2018-04-01

The major challenges for conventional diffusion bonding of joining Ti alloy and Al alloy are the undesirable interfacial reaction, low matrixes and joint strength. To avoid the problem in diffusion bonding, a novel two-stage sintering powder metallurgy process is developed. In the present work, the interface characterization and joint performance of the bonds obtained by powder metallurgy bonding are investigated and are compared with the diffusion bonded Ti/Al joints obtained with the same and the optimized process parameters. The results show that no intermetallic compound is visible in the Ti/Al joint obtained by powder metallurgy bonding, while a new layer formed at the joint diffusion bonded with the same parameters. The maximum tensile strength of joint obtained by diffusion bonding is 58 MPa, while a higher tensile strength reaching 111 MPa for a bond made by powder metallurgy bonding. Brittle fractures occur at all the bonds. It is shown that the powder metallurgy bonding of Ti/Al is better than diffusion bonding. The results of this study should benefit the bonding quality.

The agglomeration, coalescence and sliding of nanoparticles, leading to the rapid sintering of zirconia nanoceramics.

Science.gov (United States)

Kocjan, Andraž; Logar, Manca; Shen, Zhijian

2017-05-31

Conventional sintering is a time- and energy-consuming process used for the densification of consolidated particles facilitated by atomic diffusion at high temperatures. Nanoparticles, with their increased surface free energy, can promote sintering; however, size reduction also promotes agglomeration, so hampering particle packing and complete densification. Here we show how the ordered agglomeration of zirconia primary crystallites into secondary particle assemblies ensures their homogeneous packing, while also preserving the high surface energy to higher temperatures, increasing the sintering activity. When exposed to intense electromagnetic radiation, providing rapid heating, the assembled crystallites are subjected to further agglomeration, coalescence and sliding, leading to rapid densification in the absence of extensive diffusional processes, cancelling out the grain growth during the initial sintering stages and providing a zirconia nanoceramic in only 2 minutes at 1300 °C.

The relationship between the addition method of the Ni-activator and the sinterability for the Ni-doped W-powder compact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moon, I.H.; Kim, J.S.

1984-01-01

The relationship between the nickel size added to tungsten powder and the sinterability was investigated for the Ni-doped W-powder compact. The Ni-added W-powder compact with various particle size ratios of W to Ni were prepared by mechanical mixing as well as by salt solution and reduction method. In the latter method the size of reduced Ni-particle could be controlled by drying rate of salt solution. The smaller the size of nickel particles added to W was, the activatedly sintered W-powder compact has shown higher sinterability in the initial stage of sintering. The dependence of sinterability on the size of Ni-activator could be partly explained by some physical characteristics of Ni-activator at sintering temperature. (Auth.)

Master Sintering Surface: A practical approach to its construction and utilization for Spark Plasma Sintering prediction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pouchly V.

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The sintering is a complex thermally activated process, thus any prediction of sintering behaviour is very welcome not only for industrial purposes. Presented paper shows the possibility of densification prediction based on concept of Master Sintering Surface (MSS for pressure assisted Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS. User friendly software for evaluation of the MSS is presented. The concept was used for densification prediction of alumina ceramics sintered by SPS.

Effects of sintering processes on mechanical properties and microstructure of TiB2–TiC + 8 wt% nano-Ni composite ceramic cutting tool material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zou Bin; Huang Chuanzhen; Song Jinpeng; Liu Ziye; Liu Lin; Zhao Yan

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► TiB 2 –TiC + 8 wt% nano-Ni ceramic tool material was sintered by six processes. ► The properties of material depended mainly on the holding stages and duration. ► SP1 process was involved with the multiple holding stages and longer duration. ► SP1 process led to many pores, and coarsening and brittle rupture of grains. ► Tool material sintered by SP6 process exhibited the optimum mechanical properties. - Abstract: TiB 2 –TiC composite powder was prepared by ball-milled with ethanol and vacuum dry, and TiB 2 –TiC + 8 wt% nano-Ni composite ceramic cutting tool material was sintered using vacuum hot-pressed sintering technique by six processes which included the different holding stages and times. The effects of sintering processes on the mechanical properties and microstructure were investigated. The polished surface and fracture surface of TiB 2 –TiC + 8 wt% nano-Ni ceramics sintered by the different sintering processes were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS), and the relationships between mechanical properties and microstructure were discussed. The mechanical properties and microstructure depended mainly on the total holding time and the different holding stages. The longer holding time and multiple holding stages led to coarsening of TiB 2 and TiC grains, formation of pores and the brittle rupture of grains, which deteriorated the mechanical properties of TiB 2 –TiC + 8 wt% nano-Ni ceramic. TiB 2 –TiC + 8 wt% nano-Ni composite ceramic cutting tool material sintered by SP6 process exhibited the optimum resultant mechanical properties because of its finer microstructure and higher relative density, and its flexural strength, fracture toughness and hardness were 916.8 MPa, 7.80 MPa m 1/2 and 22.54 GPa, respectively.

Reaction-sintered porous mineral-based mullite ceramic membrane supports made from recycled materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Yingchao; Zhou, Jian-Er; Lin, Bin; Wang, Yongqing; Wang, Songlin; Miao, Lifeng; Lang, Ying; Liu, Xingqin; Meng, Guangyao

2009-12-15

Bulk porous mullite supports for ceramic membranes were prepared directly using a mixture of industrial waste fly ash and bauxite by dry-pressing, followed by sintering between 1200 and 1550 degrees C. The effects of sintering temperature on the phase composition and shrinkage percent of porous mullite were studied. The XRD results indicate that secondary mullitization reaction took place above 1200 degrees C, and completed at 1450 degrees C. During sintering, the mixture samples first shrunk, then expanded abnormally between 1326 and 1477 degrees C, and finally shrunk again above 1477 degrees C. This unique volume self-expansion is ascribed to the secondary mullitization reaction between bauxite and fly ash. More especially, the micro-structural variations induced by this self-expansion sintering were verified by SEM, porosity, pore size distribution and nitrogen gas permeation flux. During self-expansion sintering, with increasing temperature, an abnormal increase in both open porosity and pore size is observed, which also results in the increase of nitrogen gas flux. The mineral-based mullite supports with increased open porosity were obtained. Furthermore, the sintered porous mullite membrane supports were characterized in terms of thermal expansion co-efficient and mechanical strength.

Alternative sintering methods compared to conventional thermal sintering for inkjet printed silver nanoparticle ink

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Niittynen, J.; Abbel, R.; Mäntysalo, M.; Perelaer, J.; Schubert, U.S.; Lupo, D.

2014-01-01

In this contribution several alternative sintering methods are compared to traditional thermal sintering as high temperature and long process time of thermal sintering are increasing the costs of inkjet-printing and preventing the use of this technology in large scale manufacturing. Alternative

An in situ Study of NiTi Powder Sintering Using Neutron Diffraction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gang Chen

2015-04-01

Full Text Available This study investigates phase transformation and mechanical properties of porous NiTi alloys using two different powder compacts (i.e., Ni/Ti and Ni/TiH2 by a conventional press-and-sinter means. The compacted powder mixtures were sintered in vacuum at a final temperature of 1373 K. The phase evolution was performed by in situ neutron diffraction upon sintering and cooling. The predominant phase identified in all the produced porous NiTi alloys after being sintered at 1373 K is B2 NiTi phase with the presence of other minor phases. It is found that dehydrogenation of TiH2 significantly affects the sintering behavior and resultant microstructure. In comparison to the Ni/Ti compact, dehydrogenation occurring in the Ni/TiH2 compact leads to less densification, yet higher chemical homogenization, after high temperature sintering but not in the case of low temperature sintering. Moreover, there is a direct evidence of the eutectoid decomposition of NiTi at ca. 847 and 823 K for Ni/Ti and Ni/TiH2, respectively, during furnace cooling. The static and cyclic stress-strain behaviors of the porous NiTi alloys made from the Ni/Ti and Ni/TiH2 compacts were also investigated. As compared with the Ni/Ti sintered samples, the samplessintered from the Ni/TiH2 compact exhibited a much higher porosity, a higher close-to-total porosity, a larger pore size and lower tensile and compressive fracture strength.

Effect of the application of surface treatments before and after sintering on the flexural strength, phase transformation and surface topography of zirconia.

Science.gov (United States)

Kurtulmus-Yilmaz, Sevcan; Aktore, Huseyin

2018-05-01

To evaluate the effects of airborne-particle abrasion (APA) and Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiation on 4-point-flexural strength, phase transformation and morphologic changes of zirconia ceramics treated at pre-sintered or post-sintered stage. Three hundred and forty-two bar shaped zirconia specimens were milled with different sizes according to the flexural strength test (n = 10), X-ray diffraction (XRD) (n = 4) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) (n = 4) analyses. For each test protocol, specimens were divided into 4 main groups whether the surface treatments applied before or after sintering and whether the specimens received heat treatment or not as pre-sintered, post-sintered no-heat and post-sintered heat-treated groups, and a group was served as control. Main groups were further divided into 6 equal subgroups according to surface treatment method applied (2 W-, 3 W-, 4 W-, 5 W-, 6 W-laser irradiations and APA). Surface treatments were applied to pre-sintered groups before sintering and to post-sintered groups after sintering. Post-sintered heat-treated groups were subjected to veneer ceramic firing simulation after surface treatments. Flexural strength and flexural modulus values were statistically analysed and monoclinic phase content was calculated. Weibull analysis was used to evaluate strength reliability and fractographic analysis was conducted. Highest flexural strength values were detected at post-sintered no-heat APA and 4W-laser groups (P SEM images pre-sintered groups. Application of surface treatments at pre-sintered stage may be detrimental for zirconia ceramics in terms of flexural strength. Treating the surface of zirconia ceramic before sintering process is not recommended due to significant decrease in flexural strength values. 2 W-4 W Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiations can be regarded as alternative surface treatment methods when zirconia restoration would be subjected to veneer ceramic firing procedures

Production of pure sintered alumina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rocha, J.C. da; Huebner, H.W.

1982-01-01

With the aim of optimizing the sintering parameters, the strength of a large number of alumina samples was determined which were produced under widely varying sintering conditions and with different amounts of MgO content. The strength as a function of sintering time or temperature was found to go through a maximum. With increasing time, this maximum is shifted to lower temperatures, and with decreasing temperature to longer times. Data pairs of sintering times and temperatures which yeld the strength maximum were determined. The value of the strength at the maximum remains unchanged. The strength is high (= 400 MN/m 2 , at a grain size of 3 um and a porosity of 2 per cent) and comparable to foreign aluminas produced for commercial purposes, or even higher. The increase in the sintering time from 1 h to 16 h permits a reduction of the sintering temperature from 1600 to 1450 0 C without losing strength. The practical importance of this fact for a production of sintered alumina on a large scale is emphasized. (Author) [pt

Kinetics of sintering of uranium dioxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soni, N.C.; Moorthy, V.K.

1978-01-01

The kinetics of sintering of UO 2 powders derived from ADU route and calcined at different temperatures was studied. The activation energy for sintering was found to depend on the calcination temperature, the density chosen and the sintering temperature range. The motive force for sintering is the excess free energy in the particle system. This exists in the powder compact in the form of surface energy and the excess lattice energy due to defects. The defects which can be eliminated at the operating temperature are responsible for the mobility and hence sintering. This concept of the motive force for sintering has been used to explain the difference in the activation energies observed in the present study. This would also explain phenomena such as attainment of limiting density, presence of optimum sintering temperature and the influence of calcination treatments on the sintering behaviour of powders. (author)

Changes of Fe matrix lattice constant during liquid phase sintering of Fe-Cu-C compacts by x-ray diffraction techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mazli Mustapha; Abdul Kadir Masrom; Mohammad, M.; Meh, B.; Zawati Harun

2002-01-01

The dissolution of graphite and copper during sintering of PM steels prepared from iron, copper and graphite powder mixes were studied using X-Ray Diffraction method. This paper present the investigation carried out to study the changes of iron's lattice constant during liquid phase sintering of the compacts. The electrical conductivity measurement method was also used for determining the extent of carbon and copper dissolution and its influence on the formation of sintered compacts. In the experiment, the Fe-Cu-C powders were compacted into a pellets using hand press machine and were then sintered in a 5% H 2 + 95% N 2 gas atmosphere at different sintering temperature in the range of 400 degree C and 1200 degree C. The effect of sintering parameters on the mechanical properties of the sintered compacts was studied to find a correlation between mechanical behaviour, microstructure, and the resistivity in order to develop nondestructive testing method. It was observed that measurement of Fe matrix lattice constant and electrical conductivity of sintered compacts could be a viable method in studying all stages of sintering process. (Author)

Structure and characteristics of functional powder composite materials obtained by spark plasma sintering

Science.gov (United States)

Oglezneva, S. A.; Kachenyuk, M. N.; Kulmeteva, V. B.; Ogleznev, N. B.

2017-07-01

The article describes the results of spark plasma sintering of ceramic materials based on titanium carbide, titanium carbosilicide, ceramic composite materials based on zirconium oxide, strengthened by carbon nanostructures and composite materials of electrotechnical purpose based on copper with addition of carbon structures and titanium carbosilicide. The research shows that the spark plasma sintering can achieve relative density of the material up to 98%. The effect of sintering temperature on the phase composition, density and porosity of the final product has been studied. It was found that with addition of carbon nanostructures the relative density and hardness decrease, but the fracture strength of ZrO2 increases up to times 2. The relative erosion resistance of the electrodes made of composite copper-based powder materials, obtained by spark plasma sintering during electroerosion treatment of tool steel exceeds that parameter of pure copper up to times 15.

Sintering Theory and Practice

Science.gov (United States)

German, Randall M.

1996-01-01

Although sintering is an essential process in the manufacture of ceramics and certain metals, as well as several other industrial operations, until now, no single book has treated both the background theory and the practical application of this complex and often delicate procedure. In Sintering Theory and Practice, leading researcher and materials engineer Randall M. German presents a comprehensive treatment of this subject that will be of great use to manufacturers and scientists alike. This practical guide to sintering considers the fact that while the bonding process improves strength and other engineering properties of the compacted material, inappropriate methods of control may lead to cracking, distortion, and other defects. It provides a working knowledge of sintering, and shows how to avoid problems while accounting for variables such as particle size, maximum temperature, time at that temperature, and other problems that may cause changes in processing. The book describes the fundamental atomic events that govern the transformation from particles to solid, covers all forms of the sintering process, and provides a summary of many actual production cycles. Building from the ground up, it begins with definitions and progresses to measurement techniques, easing the transition, especially for students, into advanced topics such as single-phase solid-state sintering, microstructure changes, the complications of mixed particles, and pressure-assisted sintering. German draws on some six thousand references to provide a coherent and lucid treatment of the subject, making scientific principles and practical applications accessible to both students and professionals. In the process, he also points out and avoids the pitfalls found in various competing theories, concepts, and mathematical disputes within the field. A unique opportunity to discover what sintering is all about--both in theory and in practice What is sintering? We see the end product of this thermal

Strain-enhanced sintering of iron powders

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amador, D.R.; Torralba, J.M. [Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Departamento de Ciencias de Materiales e Ingenieria Metalurgica, Leganes, Madrid (Spain); Monge, M.A.; Pareja, R. [Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Departamento de Fisica, Madrid (Spain)

2005-02-01

Sintering of ball-milled and un-milled Fe powders has been investigated using dilatometry, X-ray, density, and positron annihilation techniques. A considerable sintering enhancement is found in milled powders showing apparent activation energies that range between 0.44 and 0.80 eV/at. The positron annihilation results, combined with the evolution of the shrinkage rate with sintering temperature, indicate generation of lattice defects during the sintering process of milled and un-milled powders. The sintering enhancement is attributed to pipe diffusion along the core of moving dislocations in the presence of the vacancy excess produced by plastic deformation. Positron annihilation results do not reveal the presence of sintering-induced defects in un-milled powders sintered above 1200 K, the apparent activation energy being in good agreement with that for grain-boundary diffusion in {gamma}-Fe. (orig.)

Studies of ZrO2-Y2O3 ceramics properties sintered in conventional and microwave oven

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gelfuso, M.V.; Capistrano, D.; Thomazini, D.; Grzebielucka, E.C.; Chinelatto, A.L.; Chinelatto, A.S.A.

2009-01-01

The ceramic materials processing with nano grain size has developed materials with new properties or improves some of its existing properties. To obtain ceramics with nano grain size, besides that to obtaining nanometric powders, a major goal is to keep the grains size after sintering. Contributing in this line of research, this study aimed to sinter zirconia-Yttria powders through two processes: conventional and microwave sintering. Zirconia stabilized with Yttria powders were obtained by chemical route based on Pechini method. Cylindrical samples were sintered between 1300 to 1500 deg C between 10 and 40 minutes. The samples were characterized by Xray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy and apparent density. It was observed that the final microstructure is influenced by both methods of sintering as the curve of firing used. (author)

Solid-state sintering of tungsten heavy alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gurwell, W.E.

1994-10-01

Solid-state sintering is a technologically important step in the fabrication of tungsten heavy alloys. This work addresses practical variables affecting the sinterability: powder particle size, powder mixing, and sintering temperature and time. Compositions containing 1 to 10 micrometer (μM) tungsten (W) powders can be fully densified at temperatures near the matrix solidus. Blending with an intensifier bar provided good dispersion of elemental powders and good as-sintered mechanical properties under adequate sintering conditions. Additional ball milling increases powder bulk density which primarily benefits mold and die filling. Although fine, 1 μm W powder blends have high sinterability, higher as-sintered ductilities are reached in shorter sintering times with coarser, 5 μm W powder blends; 10μm W powder blends promise the highest as-sintered ductilities due to their coarse microstructural W

Preparation and characterization of sintered Mo-Re alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morito, F.

1993-01-01

By the method of powder metallurgy, we have tried to fabricate Mo-Re alloys, which were electron beam weldable. Severe quality control was carried out during the whole fabrication process focused to reducing oxygen contamination. It is inevitable that the starting raw powders of Mo and Re were both high purity with 99.99 mass% up. Moreover, high vacuum sintering was performed before final sintering with high-purity hydrogen gas. As a result, we obtained electron beam weldable Mo-Re alloys, the total oxygen content of which was about 10 mass ppm or less, respectively. Several specimens were melted by electron beam welding (EBW) method. It was found that EBW gives an easy and effective survey to examine the weldability and the quality of the materials. Fracture surfaces examined by AES exhibited very low content of oxygen, carbon and nitrogen or that less than detectability limit. In conclusion, we have succeeded to obtain defect-free welds of sintered Mo-Re alloys. Furthermore it was found that Mo-Re alloys showed excellent potentialities not only in mechanical properties at low temperature but also in the respects of microstructure. (orig.)

Experimental Study on Hot Metal Desulfurization Using Sintered Red Mud-Based Flux

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Fengshan; Zhang, Yanling; Guo, Zhancheng

2017-09-01

This research presents the results of laboratory and pilot-scale tests conducted on the use of sintered red mud (RM)-based flux in the hot metal desulfurization (HMD) process. Al2O3/Na2O in RM can decrease the melting point of lime-based slag and can work as a flux in the HMD process. Good slag fluidity was observed throughout the process, and high desulfurization rates ( 80%) with a low final S content (pilot-scale test results indicated that a desulfurization rate as high as 91% and a S content <0.0099% could be acquired when RM:lime = 1:1, verifying the feasibility of using sintered RM-based flux in HMD. The data obtained provide important information for promoting the large-scale application of sintered RM in steelmaking.

Underwater explosive compaction-sintering of tungsten-copper coating on a copper surface

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xiang; Li, Xiaojie; Yan, Honghao; Wang, Xiaohong; Chen, Saiwei

2018-01-01

This study investigated underwater explosive compaction-sintering for coating a high-density tungsten-copper composite on a copper surface. First, 50% W-50% Cu tungsten-copper composite powder was prepared by mechanical alloying. The composite powder was pre-compacted and sintered by hydrogen. Underwater explosive compaction was carried out. Finally, a high-density tungsten-copper coating was obtained by diffusion sintering of the specimen after explosive compaction. A simulation of the underwater explosive compaction process showed that the peak value of the pressure in the coating was between 3.0 and 4.8 GPa. The hardness values of the tungsten-copper layer and the copper substrate were in the range of 87-133 and 49 HV, respectively. The bonding strength between the coating and the substrate was approximately 100-105 MPa.

Microwave sintering of hydroxyapatite-based composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang, Y.; Roy, D.M.; Cheng, J.; Roy, R.; Agrawal, D.K.

1993-01-01

Composites of hydroxyapatite/partially stabilized zirconia (HAp/PSZ) and hydroxyapatite/silicon carbide whiskers (HAp/SiC) were sintered at 1100-1200 degrees C by microwave at 2.45 GHz. Characterization of the sintered composites was carried out by density, microstructure, phase composition, and fracture toughness measurements. The results show that although not yet fully densified, a much higher sintered density in the HAp/PSZ composite was achieved by microwave sintering than by conventional sintering at the same temperature. A relative density of 93% was achieved by 20 min. microwave processing at 1200 degrees C. Comparatively, 2 h conventional sintering of the same material at 1200 degrees C led to only 75.5% relative density. K IC of this microwave sintered HAp/PSZ of 93% density was found to be 3.88 MPa√m, which is 250% of the value for pure HAp of the same density. A further increase in K IC could be expected if full or nearly full densification was achieved. Sintering of PSZ particles in the HAp/PSZ composite was also observed in the microwave processed sample. Microwave sintering of HAp/SiC was not successful in the current study due to the oxidation of SiC in air at high temperature. 8 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

Inversion defects in MgAl2O4 elaborated by pressureless sintering, pressureless sintering plus hot isostatic pressing, and spark plasma sintering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mussi, A.; Granger, G. Bernard; Addad, A.; Benameur, N.; Beclin, F.; Bataille, A.

2009-01-01

The distribution of inversion defects of Al was investigated in dense magnesium-aluminate spinel elaborated by pressureless sintering, pressureless sintering plus hot isostatic pressing, and spark plasma sintering. This study was conducted by energy electron loss spectroscopy analyses and more particularly by energy loss near edge structure investigations of the Al-L 2,3 edge. Several aspects are discussed with the purpose of understanding why charged defects dispersal reveals a special configuration.

Sintering and thermal ageing studies of zirconia - yttria ceramics by impedance spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Florio, Daniel Zanetti de

1998-01-01

ZrO 2 :8 mol %Y 2 O 3 solid electrolyte ceramic pellets have been prepared with powders of three different origins: a Nissan (Japan) commercial powder, a powder obtained by the coprecipitation technique at IPEN, and the mixing of powder oxides (ZrO 2 produced at a Pilot Plant at IPEN and 99.9% pure Y 2 O 3 of USA origin). These starting powders have been analysed by the following techniques: X-ray fluorescence for yttrium content, X-ray diffraction for structural phase content, sedimentation for particle size distribution, gas adsorption (BET) for surface area determination, and transmission electron microscopy for average particle size determination. Pressed ceramic pellets have been analysed by dilatometry to evaluate the sintering stages. Sintered pellets have been characterized by X-ray diffraction for phase analysis and scanning electron microscopy for grain morphology analysis. Impedance spectroscopy analysis have been carried out to follow thermal ageing of zirconia-yttria solid electrolyte at 600 deg C, the working temperature of permanent oxygen sensor, and to study sintering kinetics. The main results show that ageing at 600 deg C decreases the emf sensor response in the first 100 h to a steady value. Moreover, sintering studies by impedance spectroscopy allowed for finding correlations between electrical parameters, sintering kinetics and grain growth mechanisms. (author)

Spark plasma sintering of tantalum carbide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khaleghi, Evan; Lin, Yen-Shan; Meyers, Marc A.; Olevsky, Eugene A.

2010-01-01

A tantalum carbide powder was consolidated by spark plasma sintering. The specimens were processed under various temperature and pressure conditions and characterized in terms of relative density, grain size, rupture strength and hardness. The results are compared to hot pressing conducted under similar settings. It is shown that high densification is accompanied by substantial grain growth. Carbon nanotubes were added to mitigate grain growth; however, while increasing specimens' rupture strength and final density, they had little effect on grain growth.

Constrained Sintering in Fabrication of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hae-Weon; Park, Mansoo; Hong, Jongsup; Kim, Hyoungchul; Yoon, Kyung Joong; Son, Ji-Won; Lee, Jong-Ho; Kim, Byung-Kook

2016-08-09

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are inevitably affected by the tensile stress field imposed by the rigid substrate during constrained sintering, which strongly affects microstructural evolution and flaw generation in the fabrication process and subsequent operation. In the case of sintering a composite cathode, one component acts as a continuous matrix phase while the other acts as a dispersed phase depending upon the initial composition and packing structure. The clustering of dispersed particles in the matrix has significant effects on the final microstructure, and strong rigidity of the clusters covering the entire cathode volume is desirable to obtain stable pore structure. The local constraints developed around the dispersed particles and their clusters effectively suppress generation of major process flaws, and microstructural features such as triple phase boundary and porosity could be readily controlled by adjusting the content and size of the dispersed particles. However, in the fabrication of the dense electrolyte layer via the chemical solution deposition route using slow-sintering nanoparticles dispersed in a sol matrix, the rigidity of the cluster should be minimized for the fine matrix to continuously densify, and special care should be taken in selecting the size of the dispersed particles to optimize the thermodynamic stability criteria of the grain size and film thickness. The principles of constrained sintering presented in this paper could be used as basic guidelines for realizing the ideal microstructure of SOFCs.

Comparison of Ti(C,N)-based cermets processed by hot-pressing sintering and conventional pressureless sintering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Qingzhong; Ai, Xing; Zhao, Jun; Qin, Weizhen; Wang, Yintao; Gong, Feng

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The HP sintered Ti(C,N)-based cermets exhibit high hardness with fine grain size. • The PLS sintered cermets possess high mechanical properties with low porosity. • The applied pressure can rearrange particles and contribute to grain refinement. • The heating rate can greatly affect the solid and liquid phase sintering of cermets. - Abstract: A suitable sintering method is important to obtain the Ti(C,N)-based cermets with superior properties. In this paper, Ti(C,N)-based cermets were fabricated by hot-pressing sintering (HP) and conventional pressureless sintering (PLS) technology, respectively, to investigate the influence of different sintering methods on the microstructure and mechanical properties of cermets materials. The microstructure, fracture morphology, indention cracks and phase composition were observed and detected using scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The transverse rupture strength (TRS), Vickers hardness (HV) and fracture toughness (K IC ) were also measured. The results reveal that all of the Ti(C,N)-based cermets exhibit core–rim microstructures with black cores, white cores and grey rims embedded into metal binder phases. The grain size of the samples fabricated by HP is much finer and the structure is more compact than those fabricated by PLS, while there exist pores in the HP sintered samples. The sintering process has no influence on the phase composition of cermets, but affects the phase content and crystallinity. The samples fabricated by PLS present higher transverse rupture strength, fracture toughness and density than samples fabricated by HP. However, the HP sintered samples possess a higher hardness

Study on factors affecting sintering density of Gd2O3-UO2 pellets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Shuming; Zou Congpei; Yang Jing; Yang Youqing; Mei Xiaohui

1996-02-01

The sintered density of Gd 2 O 3 -UO 2 burnable poison fuel pellets is an important quality index and is one of main QC items. Therefore, the efforts were made to investigate the factors affecting the sintered density of Gd 2 O 3 -UO 2 , that is, the influences of pre-treatment of Gd 2 O 3 powder, additives, mixing methods and time, sintering atmosphere, sintering temperature and time on the final density of Gd 2 O 3 UO 2 pellets contained 0, 3%, 7% and 10% (mass percentage) Gd 2 O 3 . The results show: the pre-treatment is useful for improving the distribution of Gd 2 O 3 ; the additive of ammonium oxalate will effectively adjust the density of pellets; 1750 degree C is the suitable sintering temperature. The proper process parameters have been obtained, and the Gd 2 O 3 -UO 2 pellets prepared for in-pile irradiation test meet the design requirements for the density (93.5%∼96.5% of T.D.), homogeneity, microstructure, etc. (8 refs., 3 figs., 8 tabs.)

Final technical report to Department of Energy, Basic Energy Sciences. ''Oxide ceramic alloys and microlaminates'' (1996-1999) and ''Low temperature processing and kinetics of ceramics and ceramic matrix composites with large interfacial areas'' (1999-2000)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, I-Wei

2001-03-26

We have discovered a novel two-step sintering method that opened up a low temperature processing window within which fully dense nanocrystalline yttrium oxide was obtained with no concurrent grain growth during final-stage sintering. We have developed a new method of processing laminate ceramics using deformation processing in the green state. We have lastly developed a colloidal processing technique to encapsulate biomolecules at ambient, neutral-pH, aqueous conditions.

Production of sintered alumina from powder; optimization of the sinterized parameters for the maximum mechanical resistence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rocha, J.C. da.

1981-02-01

Pure, sinterized alumina and the optimization of the parameters of sinterization in order to obtain the highest mechanical resistence are discussed. Test materials are sinterized from a fine powder of pure alumina (Al 2 O 3 ), α phase, at different temperatures and times, in air. The microstructures are analysed concerning porosity and grain size. Depending on the temperature or the time of sinterization, there is a maximum for the mechanical resistence. (A.R.H.) [pt

Shape distortion and dimensional precision in tungsten heavy alloy liquid phase sintering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wuwen Yi; German, R.M.; Lu, P.K.

2001-01-01

Microstructure effects on densification and shape distortion in liquid phase sintering of tungsten heavy alloy were investigated. Microstructure parameters such as the solid volume fraction, dihedral angle, initial porosity, and pore size were varied to measure densification and distortion behavior during LPS using W-Ni-Cu alloys. Green compacts were formed using ethylene-bis-stearamide as a pore-forming agent with the amount of polymer controlling the initial porosity. Different initial pore sizes were generated by varying the polymer particle size. Dihedral angle was varied by changing the Ni:Cu ratio in the alloys. Finally, the solid volume fraction was adjusted via the tungsten content. Distortion was quantified using profiles determined with a coordinate measuring machine to calculate a distortion parameter. Sintering results showed that solid volume fraction and dihedral angle are the dominant factors on densification and distortion during liquid phase sintering. Distortion decreases with increasing solid volume fraction and dihedral angle, while initial porosity and pore size have no observable effect on distortion at nearly full densification. Various strategies emerge to improve distortion control in liquid phase sintering. (author)

Design of experiment approach for sintering study of nanocrystalline SiC fabricated using plasma pressure compaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bothara M.G.

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Plasma pressure compaction (P2C is a novel sintering technique that enables the consolidation of silicon carbide with a nanoscale microstructure at a relatively low temperature. To achieve a high final density with optimized mechanical properties, the effects of various sintering factors pertaining to the temperature-time profile and pressure were characterized. This paper reports a design of experiment approach used to optimize the processing for a 100 nm SiC powder focused on four sintering factors: temperature, time, pressure, and heating rate. Response variables included the density and mechanical properties. A L9 orthogonal array approach that includes the signal-to-noise (S/N ratio and analysis of variance (ANOVA was employed to optimize the processing factors. All of the sintering factors have significant effect on the density and mechanical properties. A final density of 98.1% was achieved with a temperature of 1600°C, hold time of 30 min, pressure of 50 MPa, and heating rate of 100°C/min. The hardness reached 18.4 GPa with a fracture toughness of 4.6 MPa√m, and these are comparable to reports from prior studies using higher consolidation temperatures.

Radiotoxicity of Actinides During Transmutation in Final Stage of Atomic Power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerasimov, Aleksander S.; Bergelson, Boris R.; Myrtsymova, Lidia A.; Tikhomirov, Georgy V.

2002-01-01

Characteristics of a transmutation mode in final stage of atomic power are analyzed. In this stage, transmutation of actinides accumulated in transmutation reactors is performed without feed by actinides from other reactors. The radiotoxicity during first 20 years of transmutation is caused mainly by 244 Cm. During following period of time, 252 Cf is main nuclide. Contribution of 246 Cm and 250 Cf is 5-7 times less than that of 252 Cf. During 50 years of a transmutation, the total radiotoxicity falls by 50 times. Long-lived radiotoxicity decreases slowly. During the period between T=50 years and T=100 years, long-lived radiotoxicity falls by 3.7 times. For each following 50 years after this period, long-lived radiotoxicity falls by 3.2 times. These results corresponding to neutron flux density 10 14 neutr/(cm 2 s) in transmutation reactor demonstrate that the final stage of a transmutation should be performed with use of high flux transmutation facilities which provide shorter time of transmutation. (authors)

Influences of chemical packing and the chemical composition in porcelain sintering: from theory to practice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conceicao, E.S.; Gouvea, D.; Romano, R.C.O.; Pileggi, R.G.

2011-01-01

Studies have been conducted using the size distribution particles as a tool to obtain maximum packing in porcelain bodies. However, little attention has been given for the maximum size of particles and its effect in the sintering. While some particles are relatively large (63 μ m) for some oxides in the porcelain composition, they could compromise the sintering if a liquid phase is formed during heat processing. In this work, a comparative analysis showed that compositions with a maximum green packing density does not always lead to a maximum final densification in sintering if there is no control of the maximum size of the particles. (author)

Recycling of mill scale in sintering process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

El-Hussiny N.A.

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This investigation deals with the effect of replacing some amount of Baharia high barite iron ore concentrate by mill scale waste which was characterized by high iron oxide content on the parameters of the sintering process., and investigation the effect of different amount of coke breeze added on sintering process parameters when using 5% mill scale waste with 95% iron ore concentrate. The results of this work show that, replacement of iron ore concentrate with mill scale increases the amount of ready made sinter, sinter strength and productivity of the sinter machine and productivity at blast furnace yard. Also, the increase of coke breeze leads to an increase the ready made sinter and productivity of the sintering machine at blast furnace yard. The productivity of the sintering machine after 5% decreased slightly due to the decrease of vertical velocity.

Sintering of beryllium oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caillat, R.; Pointud, R.

1955-01-01

This study had for origin to find a process permitting to manufacture bricks of beryllium oxide of pure nuclear grade, with a density as elevated as possible and with standardized shape. The sintering under load was the technique kept for the manufacture of the bricks. Because of the important toxicity of the beryllium oxide, the general features for the preliminary study of the sintering, have been determined while using alumina. The obtained results will be able to act as general indication for ulterior studies with sintering under load. (M.B.) [fr

Effects of Sintering and Extrusion on the Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of a SiC/Al-Cu Composite

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Chao; Shen, Rujuan; Song, Min

2012-03-01

This article studied the effects of sintering and extrusion on the microstructures and mechanical properties of SiC particle reinforced Al-Cu alloy composite produced by powder metallurgy method. It has been shown that both extrusion and increasing sintering temperature can significantly improve the strength and plasticity of the composite. The extrusion and increase of the sintering temperature can break up the oxide coating on the matrix powder surfaces, decrease the number of pores, accelerate the elements' diffusion and increase the density and particle interfacial bonding strength, thus significantly improve the mechanical properties of the composite. The strength and hardness of the composite increase and the elongation decreases with increasing the aging time at under-aged stage, while the strength and hardness start to decrease and the elongation starts to increase with increasing the aging time at over-aged stage due to the formation and growth of the secondary strengthening precipitates in the Al-Cu matrix.

Sintering studies on iron-carbon-copper compacts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Perianayagam Philomen-D-Anand Raj

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Sintered Iron-Carbon-Copper parts are among the most widely used powder metallurgy product in automobile. In this paper, studies have been carried out to find out the sintering characteristics of iron-carbon-copper compacts when sintered in nitrogen atmosphere. The effects of various processing parameters on the sintering characteristics were studied. The various processing parameters considered were compaction pressure, green density and sintering temperature. The sintering characteristics determined were sintered density, porosity, dimensional change, micro hardness and radial crush strength. The results obtained have been discussed on the basis of micro structural observations. The characteristics of SEM fractography were also used to determine the mechanism of fracture. The fracture energy is strongly dependent on density of the compact.

Effect of additives on enhanced sintering and grain growth in uranium dioxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bourgeois, L.

1992-06-01

The use of sintering additives has been the most effective way of promoting grain growth of uranium dioxide. We have established a same mechanism for additives which belongs to corundum structure: chromium, aluminium, vanadium and titanium sesquioxides. Study of thermodynamical stabilities of dopants has lead to define suitable sintering atmospheres in order to enhance grain growth. Low solubility limits have been defined at T=1700 deg C for four additives, from variations of final grain size versus initial dopant concentration Identification of second phase after cooling has been done from electronic diffraction patterns. It appears that these solubilities decrease sharply as positive deviation from stoichiometry of uranium dioxide increases. Dilatometric analysis of sintering of doped uranium dioxide has shown in certain cases some enhancement in densification rates, at the point of onset of abnormal grain growth, which is believed to be the source. Nevertheless, the following growth is accompanied with pores coalescence mechanisms and pores entrapment inside grains. Increased thermal stability, during standard annealing, is expected, limiting thereby redensification of nuclear fuel in reactors. Finally, from investigations of additives vaporizations, Al 2 O 3 and Cr 2 O 3 , oxygen exchanges between additives and matrix are believed to occur, which should lead to enhance pore mobility. (Author)., refs., figs., tabs

Quantitative analysis for in situ sintering of 3% yttria-stablized zirconia in the transmission electron microscope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Majidi, Hasti; Holland, Troy B.; Benthem, Klaus van

2015-01-01

Studying particle-agglomerate systems compared to two-particle systems elucidates different stages of sintering by monitoring both pores and particles. We report on in situ sintering of 3% yttria-stablized zirconia particle agglomerates in the transmission electron microscope (TEM). Real-time TEM observations indicate neck formation and growth, particle coalescence and pore closure. A MATLAB-based image processing tool was developed to calculate the projected area of the agglomerate with and without internal pores during in situ sintering. We demonstrate the first densification curves generated from sequentially acquired TEM images. The in situ sintering onset temperature was then determined to be at 960 °C. Densification curves illustrated that the agglomerate projected area which excludes the internal observed pores also shrinks during in situ sintering. To overcome the common projection problem for TEM analyses, agglomerate mass-thickness maps were obtained from low energy-loss analysis combined with STEM imaging. The decrease in the projected area was directly related to the increase in mass-thickness of the agglomerate, likely caused by hidden pores existing in the direction of the beam. Access to shrinkage curves through in situ TEM analysis provides a new avenue to investigate fundamental mechanisms of sintering through directly correlating microstructural changes during consolidation with mesoscale densification behavior

Quantitative analysis for in situ sintering of 3% yttria-stablized zirconia in the transmission electron microscope

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Majidi, Hasti [Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 (United States); Holland, Troy B. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523 (United States); Benthem, Klaus van, E-mail: benthem@ucdavis.edu [Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 (United States)

2015-05-15

Studying particle-agglomerate systems compared to two-particle systems elucidates different stages of sintering by monitoring both pores and particles. We report on in situ sintering of 3% yttria-stablized zirconia particle agglomerates in the transmission electron microscope (TEM). Real-time TEM observations indicate neck formation and growth, particle coalescence and pore closure. A MATLAB-based image processing tool was developed to calculate the projected area of the agglomerate with and without internal pores during in situ sintering. We demonstrate the first densification curves generated from sequentially acquired TEM images. The in situ sintering onset temperature was then determined to be at 960 °C. Densification curves illustrated that the agglomerate projected area which excludes the internal observed pores also shrinks during in situ sintering. To overcome the common projection problem for TEM analyses, agglomerate mass-thickness maps were obtained from low energy-loss analysis combined with STEM imaging. The decrease in the projected area was directly related to the increase in mass-thickness of the agglomerate, likely caused by hidden pores existing in the direction of the beam. Access to shrinkage curves through in situ TEM analysis provides a new avenue to investigate fundamental mechanisms of sintering through directly correlating microstructural changes during consolidation with mesoscale densification behavior.

New materials through a variety of sintering methods

Science.gov (United States)

Jaworska, L.; Cyboroń, J.; Cygan, S.; Laszkiewicz-Łukasik, J.; Podsiadło, M.; Novak, P.; Holovenko, Y.

2018-03-01

New sintering techniques make it possible to obtain materials with special properties that are impossible to obtain by conventional sintering techniques. This issue is especially important for ceramic materials for application under extreme conditions. Following the tendency to limit critical materials in manufacturing processes, the use of W, Si, B, Co, Cr should be limited, also. One of the cheapest and widely available materials is aluminum oxide, which shows differences in phase composition, grain size, hardness, strain and fracture toughness of the same type of powder, sintered via various methods. In this paper the alumina was sintered using the conventional free sintering process, microwave sintering, Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS), high pressure-high temperature method (HP-HT) and High Pressure Spark Plasma Sintering (HP SPS). Phase composition analysis, by X-ray diffraction of the alumina materials sintered using various methods, was carried out. For the conventional sintering method, compacts are composed of α-Al2O3 and θ-Al2O3. For compacts sintered using SPS, microwave and HP-HT methods, χ-Al2O3 and γ-Al2O3 phases were additionally present. Mechanical and physical properties of the obtained materials were compared between the methods of sintering. On the basis of images from scanning electron microscope quantitative analysis was performed to determine the degree of grain growth of alumina after sintering.

Constrained Sintering in Fabrication of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hae-Weon; Park, Mansoo; Hong, Jongsup; Kim, Hyoungchul; Yoon, Kyung Joong; Son, Ji-Won; Lee, Jong-Ho; Kim, Byung-Kook

2016-01-01

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are inevitably affected by the tensile stress field imposed by the rigid substrate during constrained sintering, which strongly affects microstructural evolution and flaw generation in the fabrication process and subsequent operation. In the case of sintering a composite cathode, one component acts as a continuous matrix phase while the other acts as a dispersed phase depending upon the initial composition and packing structure. The clustering of dispersed particles in the matrix has significant effects on the final microstructure, and strong rigidity of the clusters covering the entire cathode volume is desirable to obtain stable pore structure. The local constraints developed around the dispersed particles and their clusters effectively suppress generation of major process flaws, and microstructural features such as triple phase boundary and porosity could be readily controlled by adjusting the content and size of the dispersed particles. However, in the fabrication of the dense electrolyte layer via the chemical solution deposition route using slow-sintering nanoparticles dispersed in a sol matrix, the rigidity of the cluster should be minimized for the fine matrix to continuously densify, and special care should be taken in selecting the size of the dispersed particles to optimize the thermodynamic stability criteria of the grain size and film thickness. The principles of constrained sintering presented in this paper could be used as basic guidelines for realizing the ideal microstructure of SOFCs. PMID:28773795

Formation of peripheral porosity regions around urania in zirconia-urania mixed oxide powder compact sintering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, P.; Choudhury, R.

1992-01-01

Sintering studies of zirconia-urania mixed oxide powder compacts (in stages of 5% urania up to a maximum of 20% addition) were carried out at temperatures between 1000-1400deg C for various soaking periods. The formation of a peripheral porosity region around comparatively coarser urania particle was a characteristic feature in this mixed oxide sintered compact. At even a higher sintering temperature (1800deg C), where extensive solid solution formation takes place, this porosity region demarcates the solutionized particles from the host zirconia apparently acting as a discontinuity in the system. Relative shrinkage difference between the dissimilar particles probably contributes to the porosity regions around the minor second phase at a lower temperature while at higher temperature generation of 'Kirkendall porosity' may be responsible for such an effect. (orig.)

Pressureless sintering of whisker-toughened ceramic composites

Science.gov (United States)

Tiegs, T.N.

1993-05-04

A pressureless sintering method is disclosed for use in the production of whisker-toughened ceramic composites wherein the sintered density of composites containing up to about 20 vol. % SiC whiskers is improved by reducing the average aspect ratio of the whiskers to from about 10 to about 20. Sintering aids further improve the density, permitting the production of composites containing 20 vol. % SiC with sintered densities of 94% or better of theoretical density by a pressureless sintering method.

Low temperature sintering of Ag nanoparticles/graphene composites for paper based writing electronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Fuliang; He, Hu; Zhu, Haixin

2016-01-01

With the great demand in the applications of flexible electronics, the methods leading to improvements in the electrical and mechanical performance have been widely investigated. In this work, we firstly prepared a hybrid composite ink using Ag nanoparticles and graphene. Then, a hot-press sintering process was deployed to obtain the desired electrical tracks which could be applied in flexible electronics. We have systematically investigated the effects of sintering time, pressure and temperature, as well as the different percentage of weight (wt%) of graphene for the electrical and mechanical performance of sintered electrical tracks. We achieved reasonably low electrical resistivity at low sintering temperature (120 °C). Specifically, the resistivity reaches 6.19  ×  10 −8 Ω · m which is just 3.87 times higher than the value of bulk silver. Additionally, the prepared hybrid composite ink obtained better electrical reliability against bending test comparing with Ag nanoparticle ink. Finally, the optimal wt% of graphene and potential effect to the electrical and mechanical performance were also investigated. (paper)

Influence of sintering temperature on mechanical properties of spark plasma sintered pre-alloyed Ti-6Al-4 V powder

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muthuchamy, A.; Patel, Paridh; Rajadurai, M. [VIT Univ., Vellore, Tamil Nadu (India); Chaurisiya, Jitendar K. [NIT, Suratkal (India); Annamalai, A. Raja [VIT Univ., Vellore, Tamil Nadu (India). Centre for Innovative Manufacturing Research

2018-04-01

Spark plasma sintering provides faster heating that can create fully, or near fully, dense samples without significant grain growth. In this study, pre-alloyed Ti-6Al-4 V powder compact samples produced through field assisted sintering in a spark plasma sintering machine are compared as a function of consolidation temperature. The effect of sintering temperature on the densification mechanism, microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of spark plasma sintered Ti-6Al-4 V alloy compacts was investigated in detail. The compact, sintered at 1100 C, exhibited near net density, highest hardness and strength as compared to the other compacts processed at a temperature lower than 1100 C.

Laser sintering of metal powders on top of sintered layers under multiple-line laser scanning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiao Bin; Zhang Yuwen

2007-01-01

A three-dimensional numerical model for multiple-line sintering of loose powders on top of multiple sintered layers under the irradiation of a moving Gaussian laser beam is carried out. The overlaps between vertically deposited layers and adjacent lines which strengthen bonding are taken into account. The energy equation is formulated using the temperature transforming model and solved by the finite volume method. The effects of the number of the existing sintered layers, porosity and initial temperature coupled with the optimal combination laser intensity and scanning velocity are presented. The results show that the liquid pool moves slightly towards the negative scanning direction and the shape of the liquid pool becomes shallower with higher scanning velocity. A higher laser intensity is needed to achieve the required overlaps when the number of the existing sintered layers increases. Increasing porosity or initial temperature enhances the sintering process and thus less intensity is needed for the overlap requirement

Interpretation of Frenkel’s theory of sintering considering evolution of activated pores: III. Determination of equilibrium sintering time

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu C.L.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In this article, the Frenkel’s theory of liquid-phase sintering was interpreted regarding pores as the activated volume. The mathematical model established by Nikolić et al. was used to infer the equilibrium sintering time at varied sintering temperatures during the isothermal sintering of codierite glass by Giess et al. Through the calculation, the equilibrium time at 800ºC, 820ºC, 840ºC and 860ºC is inferred to be 7014.42mins, 1569.65mins, 368.92mins and 114.61mins, respectively. The equilibrium time decreases as the temperature increases. And the theoretical value is in good accordance with the experimental results. Thus, the model established by Nikolić et al. can be applied successfully to predict the equilibrium sintering time of the cordierite glass at varied temperatures during isothermal sintering.

Pore Formation Process of Porous Ti3SiC2 Fabricated by Reactive Sintering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huibin Zhang

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Porous Ti3SiC2 was fabricated with high purity, 99.4 vol %, through reactive sintering of titanium hydride (TiH2, silicon (Si and graphite (C elemental powders. The reaction procedures and the pore structure evolution during the sintering process were systematically studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD and scanning electron microscope (SEM. Our results show that the formation of Ti3SiC2 from TiH2/Si/C powders experienced the following steps: firstly, TiH2 decomposed into Ti; secondly, TiC and Ti5Si3 intermediate phases were generated; finally, Ti3SiC2 was produced through the reaction of TiC, Ti5Si3 and Si. The pores formed in the synthesis procedure of porous Ti3SiC2 ceramics are derived from the following aspects: interstitial pores left during the pressing procedure; pores formed because of the TiH2 decomposition; pores formed through the reactions between Ti and Si and Ti and C powders; and the pores produced accompanying the final phase synthesized during the high temperature sintering process.

Modeling the microstructural evolution during constrained sintering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjørk, Rasmus; Frandsen, Henrik Lund; Tikare, V.

A numerical model able to simulate solid state constrained sintering of a powder compact is presented. The model couples an existing kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) model for free sintering with a finite element (FE) method for calculating stresses on a microstructural level. The microstructural response...... to the stress field as well as the FE calculation of the stress field from the microstructural evolution is discussed. The sintering behavior of two powder compacts constrained by a rigid substrate is simulated and compared to free sintering of the same samples. Constrained sintering result in a larger number...

Master sintering curves of two different alumina powder compacts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vaclav Pouchly

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Concept of Master Sintering Curve is a strong tool for optimizing sintering schedule. The sintering behaviour can be predicted, and sintering activation energy can be calculated with the help of few dilatometric measurements. In this paper an automatic procedure was used to calculate Master Sintering Curves of two different alumina compacts. The sintering activation energies were determined as 640 kJ/mol for alumina with particle size of 240 nm, respective 770 kJ/mol for alumina with particle size of 110 nm. The possibility to predict sintering behaviour with the help of Master Sintering Curve was verified.

Quantitative analysis for in situ sintering of 3% yttria-stablized zirconia in the transmission electron microscope.

Science.gov (United States)

Majidi, Hasti; Holland, Troy B; van Benthem, Klaus

2015-05-01

Studying particle-agglomerate systems compared to two-particle systems elucidates different stages of sintering by monitoring both pores and particles. We report on in situ sintering of 3% yttria-stablized zirconia particle agglomerates in the transmission electron microscope (TEM). Real-time TEM observations indicate neck formation and growth, particle coalescence and pore closure. A MATLAB-based image processing tool was developed to calculate the projected area of the agglomerate with and without internal pores during in situ sintering. We demonstrate the first densification curves generated from sequentially acquired TEM images. The in situ sintering onset temperature was then determined to be at 960 °C. Densification curves illustrated that the agglomerate projected area which excludes the internal observed pores also shrinks during in situ sintering. To overcome the common projection problem for TEM analyses, agglomerate mass-thickness maps were obtained from low energy-loss analysis combined with STEM imaging. The decrease in the projected area was directly related to the increase in mass-thickness of the agglomerate, likely caused by hidden pores existing in the direction of the beam. Access to shrinkage curves through in situ TEM analysis provides a new avenue to investigate fundamental mechanisms of sintering through directly correlating microstructural changes during consolidation with mesoscale densification behavior. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

HAp physical investigation - the effect of sintering temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohd Reusmaazran Yusof; Idris Besar; Rusnah Mustaffa; Cik Rohaida Che Hak

2004-01-01

The paper presents the effect of sintering temperature on the physical properties of porous hydroxyapatite (HAp). In this study, the HAp was prepared using polymeric sponge techniques with different binder concentration. The sintering process was carried out in air for temperature ranging from 1200 degree C to 1600 degree C. Different physical properties namely density and porosity were observed at different sintering temperatures. The HAp prepared with higher PVP binder showed a slightly decreased in apparent density with increasing sintering temperature, while those HAp prepared with lower PVP showed a slightly increase in apparent density with increasing sintering temperature. The total porosity was found to be approximately constant in the whole sintering temperature range. However, closed porosity decreases with increasing sintering temperature for HAp prepared by lower binder concentration. On the other hand, the HAp prepared by higher binder concentration HAp showed increasing closed porosity with increasing sintering temperature. Other features such as the influence of sintering temperatures on grain and strut also be presented in this paper. (Author)

Experimental measurements of the thermal conductivity of ash deposits: Part 2. Effects of sintering and deposit microstructure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A. L. Robinson; S. G. Buckley; N. Yang; L. L. Baxter

2000-04-01

The authors report results from an experimental study that examines the influence of sintering and microstructure on ash deposit thermal conductivity. The measurements are made using a technique developed to make in situ, time-resolved measurements of the effective thermal conductivity of ash deposits formed under conditions that closely replicate those found in the convective pass of a commercial boiler. The technique is designed to minimize the disturbance of the natural deposit microstructure. The initial stages of sintering and densification are accompanied by an increase in deposit thermal conductivity. Subsequent sintering continues to densify the deposit, but has little effect on deposit thermal conductivity. SEM analyses indicates that sintering creates a layered deposit structure with a relatively unsintered innermost layer. They hypothesize that this unsintered layer largely determines the overall deposit thermal conductivity. A theoretical model that treats a deposit as a two-layered material predicts the observed trends in thermal conductivity.

Final chlorine dioxide stage at near-neutral pH for bleaching eucalypt pulp

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robisnéa A. Ribeiro

2014-01-01

Full Text Available It is well known that pH is an important parameter for controlling the eucalyptus pulp bleaching when using the final chlorine dioxide stage, since it affects the effectiveness of the process. Recommendations found in the literature for operating are in the 3.5 to 4.0 range. However, in this paper it was shown that final chlorine dioxide has better performance, with significant brightness gain while also preserving pulp quality, when it is operated at near neutral pH. This result can be explained by the generation of sodium bicarbonate in situ upon adding carbon dioxide at this stage.

The influence of green microstructure and sintering parameters on precipitation process during copper-nickel-zinc ferrites sintering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barba, A.; Clausell, C.; Jarque, J. C.; Monzo, M.

2014-01-01

Microstructural changes that occur during heat treatment of copper-nickel-zinc ferrites have been studied. The process of precipitation of the two types of crystals that occur during the sintering process has been analyzed. It is found that this process depends on dry relative density of the press specimens and on the following sintering parameters: sintering temperature, sintering time and cooling rate of the thermal cycle. Crystal precipitates characterization have been done by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). These techniques have allowed to determine the nature of these crystals, which in this case correspond to zinc and copper oxides. It has been used two chemical reactions to explain the bulk precipitation and subsequent re-dissolution of these crystal precipitates during sintering. (Author)

Reduction of surface erosion caused by helium blistering in sintered beryllium and sintered aluminum powder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, S.K.; Kaminsky, M.

1976-01-01

Studies have been conducted to find materials with microstructures which minimize the formation of blisters. A promising class of materials appears to be sintered metal powder with small average grain sizes and low atomic number Z. Studies of the surface erosion of sintered aluminum powder (SAP 895) and of aluminum held at 400 0 C due to blistering by 100 keV helium ions have been conducted and the results are compared to those obtained earlier for room temperature irradiation. A significant reduction of the erosion rate in SAP 895 in comparison to annealed aluminum and SAP 930 is observed. In addition results on the blistering of sintered beryllium powder (type I) irradiated at room temperature and 600 0 C by 100 keV helium ions are given. These results will be compared with those reported recently for vacuum cast beryllium foil and a foil of sintered beryllium powder (type II) which was fabricated differently, than type I. For room temperature irradiation only a few blisters could be observed in sintered beryllium powder type I and type II and they are smaller in size and in number than in vacuum cast beryllium. For irradiation at 600 0 C large scale exfoliation of blisters was observed for vacuum cast beryllium but much less exfoliation was seen for sintered beryllium powder, type I, and type II. The results show a reduction in erosion rate cast beryllium, for both room temperature and 600 0 C

Science of sintering and its future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ristic, M.M.

1975-01-01

Some new books published by M.Yu. Baljshin, V.A. Ivensen, V.V. Skorohod and others are characterized by the wish to give a complete approach to the problems of sintering theory. Bearing just this in mind while writing the book ''An Essay on the Generalization of Sintering Theory'' (G.V.Samsonov, M.M. Ristic with the collaborators) an idea was born: to ask the most eminent scientists in this field to present their own opinions on the theme ''The Science of Sintering and Modern Views on its Future''. There were formed 18 questions, given in the appendix to be answered. The received answers were presented in 10 chapters of this book. The fourth part of the book consists of papers of eminent scientists engaged in the field of sintering science (some of which were published here for the first time). This material is published in the book with the consent of the authors and these original contributions provide a more profound knowledge of sintering. The initial idea, that the book should have a monograph character and in which the answers would serve as some data on the latest notions of the science of sintering, was somewhat changed since the original opinions of individual scientists are given in the book and these, are sometimes very contradictory. This, in fact, gives the book a special charm because the unsolved problems in the science of sintering are most evidently stressed in this way

Factors Affecting the Sintering of UO2 Pellets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Hakim, E.; Afifi, Y.K.

1999-01-01

Sintering of UO 2 pellets is affected by many parameters such as; UO 2 powder parameters, the conditions followed for preparing the green UO 2 pellets and the sintering scheme(heating and cooling rate, soaking time and temperature). The aim of this work is to study the effect of some these parameters on the characteristics of the sintered UO 2 pellets were qualified according to the technical specifications of Candu fuel. Pressed green pellets at different pressing force (15 to 50 k N) were sintered at 1650 ±20 degree for two hours to study the effect of pressing force on the sintered pellets characteristics; visual inspection, pellet dimensions, density and shrinkage ratio. Compacted green pellets at a pressing force of 48 k N were sintered at different sintering temperature (1600± 20 degree, 1650 ±20 degree, 1700± 20 degree) for two hours to study the effect of sintering temperature on the sintered pellets characteristics. The effect of the heating rate (200,300 and 400 degree per hour) on the sintered pellets characteristics was also investigated. It was found that the pressing force used to compact the green pellets had an effect on the density of the sintered pellets. Pellets pressed at 15 k N have a density of 10.3 g/cm 3 while, those pressed at 50 k N have a density of 10.6 g/cm 3. It was observed that increasing the heating rate to 400 degree /h lead to cracked pellets

Final report on initial samples supplied by LLNL for task 3.3 binder burnout and sintering schedule optimisation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walls, P

1999-01-04

Sixteen of the twenty-one samples have been investigated using the scanning laser dilatometer. This includes all three types of samples with different preparation routes and organic content. Cracks were observed in all samples, even those only heated to 300 C. It was concluded that the cracking was occurring in the early part of the heat treatment before the samples reached 300 C. Increase in the rate of dilation of the samples occurred above 170 C which coincided with the decomposition of the binder/wax additives as determined by differential thermal analysis. A comparison was made with SYNROC C material (Powder Run 143), samples of which had been CIPed and green machined to a similar diameter and thickness as the 089 mm SRTC pucks. These samples contained neither binder nor other organic processing aids and had been kept in the same desiccator as the SRTC samples. The CIPed Synroc C samples sintered to high density with zero cracks. As the cracks made up only a small contribution to the change in diameter of the sample compared to the sintering shrinkage, useful information could still be gained from the runs. The sintering curves showed that there was much greater shrinkage of the Type III samples containing only the 5% PEG binder compared to the Type I which contained polyolefin wax as processing aid. Slight changes in gradient of the sintering curve were observed, however, due to the masking effect of the cracking, full analysis of the sintering kinetics cannot be conducted. Even heating the samples to 300 C at 1.0 or 0.5 C/min could not prevent crack formation. This indicated that heating rate was not the critical parameter causing cracking of the samples. Sectioning of green bodies revealed the inhomogeneous nature of the binder/lubricant distribution in the samples. Increased homogeneity would reduce the amount of binder/lubricant required, which should in turn, reduce the degree of cracking observed during heating to the binder burnout temperature. A

Modeling of sintering of functionally gradated materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gasik, M.; Zhang, B.

2001-01-01

The functionally gradated materials (FGMs) are distinguished from isotropic materials by gradients of composition, phase distribution, porosity, and related properties. For FGMs made by powder metallurgy, sintering control is one of the most important factors. In this study sintering process of FGMs is modeled and simulated with a computer. A new modeling approach was used to formulate equation systems and the model for sintering of gradated hard metals, coupled with heat transfer and grain growth. A FEM module was developed to simulate FGM sintering in conventional, microwave and hybrid conditions, to calculate density, stress and temperature distribution. Behavior of gradated WC-Co hardmetal plate and cone specimens was simulated for various conditions, such as mean particle size, green density distribution and cobalt gradation parameter. The results show that the deformation behavior and stress history of graded powder compacts during heating, sintering and cooling could be predicted for optimization of sintering process. (author)

Properties, structure and machnining capabilities sintered corundum abrasives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cz.J. Niżankowski

2010-07-01

Full Text Available The diversity of sintered corundum abrasives used in both bonded and in the embankment of abrasive tools currently poses substantialproblems for their choice of technology to specific tasks. Therefore performed a comparative study of ownership structures and capacitiesof elected representatives machnining sintered corundum abrasives of different generations, and this is normal sintered alumina,submicrocrystalline alumina sintered and nanocrystalline alumina sintered. Were studied some properties of a set of abrasive particles,physicochemical properties and structural and mechanical and technological properties. The studies used the method of microscopicmeasurement to determine the shape of abrasive particles, the pycnometer to determine the density of abrasive, a spectrometer todetermine the chemical composition of the magnetic analyzer for determining the magnetic fraction, scanning electron microscope toanalysis of abrasive grains and a special position to designate the machining capacity abrasive grains. The results showed a significantincrease in machining capacity sintered corundum abrasives with increasing degree of fragmentation of the crystallites sintered corundum abrasives and distinctive bands in the emerging microchip. The originality of the development provides a comparative summary ofproperties of sintered corundum abrasives of different generations and functions obtained by the author making the change in value indexof machininhcapacity grit from cutting speeds for different generations of sintered corundum.

The Effect of Nano-TiC Addition on Sintered Nd-Fe-B Permanent Magnets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mural, Zorjana; Kollo, Lauri; Xia, Manlong

2017-01-01

This paper addresses the effect of nano-TiC addition on sintered Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets. TiC nanoparticles were added to sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets with a specific aim to improve the Curie temperature and thermal stability. A standard powder metallurgy route was adopted to prepare the magnets....... It was found that introducing nano-TiC prior to jet milling was effective as the nanoparticles dispersed in the final alloy, concentcalcrating in the neodymium-rich phase of the magnets. Magnets with optimal properties were obtained with the addition of 1 wt% TiC nanoparticles. The hysteresis loop...

Discrimination symbol applying method for sintered nuclear fuel product

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishizaki, Jin

1998-01-01

The present invention provides a symbol applying method for applying discrimination information such as an enrichment degree on the end face of a sintered nuclear product. Namely, discrimination symbols of information of powders are applied by a sintering aid to the end face of a molded member formed by molding nuclear fuel powders under pressure. Then, the molded product is sintered. The sintering aid comprises aluminum oxide, a mixture of aluminum oxide and silicon dioxide, aluminum hydride or aluminum stearate alone or in admixture. As an applying means of the sintering aid, discrimination symbols of information of powders are drawn by an isostearic acid on the end face of the molded product, and the sintering aid is sprayed thereto, or the sintering aid is applied directly, or the sintering aid is suspended in isostearic acid, and the suspension is applied with a brush. As a result, visible discrimination information can be applied to the sintered member easily. (N.H.)

Preparation of a sinterable beryllium oxide through decomposition of beryllium hydroxide (1963)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernier, M.

1963-01-01

In the course of the present study, we have attempted to precise the factors which among the ones effective in the course of the preparation of the beryllium hydroxide and oxide and during the sintering have an influence on the final result: the density and homogeneity of the sintered body. Of the several varieties of hydroxides precipitated from a sulfate solution the β-hydroxide only is always contaminated with beryllium sulfate and cannot be purified even by thorough washing. We noticed that those varieties of the hydroxide (gel, α, β) have different decomposition rates; this behaviour is used to identify and even to dose the different species in (α, β) mixtures. The various hydroxides transmit to the resulting oxides the shape they had when precipitated. Accordingly the history of the oxide is revealed by its behaviour during its fabrication and sintering. By comparing the results of the sintering operation with the various measurements performed on the oxide powders we are led to the conclusion that an oxide obtained from beryllium hydroxide is sinterable under vacuum if the following conditions are fulfilled: the particle size must lie between 0.1 and 0.2 μ and the BeSO 4 content of the powder must be less than 0.25 per cent wt (expressed as SO 3 /BeO). The best fitting is obtained with the oxide issued from an α-hydroxide precipitated as very small aggregates and with a low sulfur-content. We have observed that this is also the case for the oxide obtained by direct calcination of beryllium sulfate. (author) [fr

[Study on friction and wear properties of dental zirconia ceramics processed by microwave and conventional sintering methods].

Science.gov (United States)

Guoxin, Hu; Ying, Yang; Yuemei, Jiang; Wenjing, Xia

2017-04-01

This study evaluated the wear of an antagonist and friction and wear properties of dental zirconia ceramic that was subjected to microwave and conventional sintering methods. Ten specimens were fabricated from Lava brand zirconia and randomly assigned to microwave and conventional sintering groups. A profile tester for surface roughness was used to measure roughness of the specimens. Wear test was performed, and steatite ceramic was used as antagonist. Friction coefficient curves were recorded, and wear volume were calculated. Finally, optical microscope was used to observe the surface morphology of zirconia and steatite ceramics. Field emission scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the microstructure of zirconia. Wear volumes of microwave and conventionally sintered zirconia were (6.940±1.382)×10⁻², (7.952±1.815) ×10⁻² mm³, respectively. Moreover, wear volumes of antagonist after sintering by the considered methods were (14.189±4.745)×10⁻², (15.813±3.481)×10⁻² mm³, correspondingly. Statistically significant difference was not observed in the wear resistance of zirconia and wear volume of steatite ceramic upon exposure to two kinds of sintering methods. Optical microscopy showed that ploughed surfaces were apparent in zirconia. The wear surface of steatite ceramic against had craze, accompanied by plough. Scanning electron microscopy showed that zirconia was sintered compactly when subjected to both conventional sintering and microwave methods, whereas grains of zirconia sintered by microwave alone were smaller and more uniform. Two kinds of sintering methods are successfully used to produce dental zirconia ceramics with similar friction and wear properties.
.

Sintering by infiltration of loose mixture of powders, a method for metal matrix composite elaboration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Constantinescu, V.; Orban, R.; Colan, H.

1993-01-01

Starting from the observation that Sintering by Infiltration of Loose Mixture of Powders confers large possibilities for both complex shaped and of large dimensions Particulate Reinforced Metal Matrix Composite components elaboration, its mechanism comparative with those of the classical melt infiltration was investigated. Appropriate measures in order to prevent an excessive hydrostatic flow of the melt and, consequently, reinforcement particle dispersion, as well as to promote wetting in both infiltration and liquid phase sintering stages of the process were established as necessary. Some experimental results in the method application to the fusion tungsten carbide and diamond reinforced metal matrix composite elaboration are, also, presented. (orig.)

Dielectric Properties of Sol-Gel Derived Barium Strontium Titanate and Microwave Sintering of Ceramics

Science.gov (United States)

Selmi, Fathi A.

This thesis consists of two areas of research: (1) sol-gel processing of Ba_{rm 1-x}Sr_{rm x} TiO_3 ceramics and their dielectric properties measurement; and (2) microwave versus conventional sintering of ceramics such as Al_2 O_3, Ba_{ rm 1-x}Sr_{rm x}TiO_3, Sb-doped SnO _2 and YBa_2Cu _3O_7. Sol-gel powders of BaTiO_3, SrTiO_3, and their solid solutions were synthesized by the hydrolysis of titanium isopropoxide and Ba and Sr methoxyethoxides. The loss tangent and dielectric constant of both sol-gel and conventionally prepared and sintered Ba_{rm 1-x}Sr _{rm x}TiO _3 ceramics were investigated at high frequencies. The sol-gel prepared ceramics showed higher dielectric constant and lower loss compared to those prepared conventionally. Ba _{rm 1-x}Sr _{rm x}TiO_3 ceramics were tunable with applied bias, indicating the potential use of this material for phase shifter applications. Porous Ba_{0.65}Sr _{0.35}TiO_3 was also investigated to lower the dielectric constant. Microwave sintering of alpha -Al_2O_3 and SrTiO_3 was investigated using an ordinary kitchen microwave oven (2.45 GHz; 600 Watts). The use of microwaves with good insulation of alpha -Al_2O_3 and SrTiO_3 samples resulted in their rapid sintering with good final densities of 96 and 98% of the theoretical density, respectively. A comparison of grain size for conventionally and microwave sintered SrTiO_3 samples did not show a noticeable difference. However, the grain size of microwave sintered alpha-Al_2O _3 was found to be larger than that of conventionally sintered sample. These results show that rapid sintering of ceramics can be achieved by using microwave radiation. The sintering behavior of coprecipitated Sb-doped SnO_2 was investigated using microwave power absorption. With microwave power, samples were sintered at 1450^circC for 20 minutes and showed a density as high as 99.9% of theoretical. However, samples fired in a conventional electric furnace at the same temperature for 4 hours showed only

Master sintering curve: A practical approach to its construction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pouchly V.

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The concept of a Master Sintering Curve (MSC is a strong tool for optimizing the sintering process. However, constructing the MSC from sintering data involves complicated and time-consuming calculations. A practical method for the construction of a MSC is presented in the paper. With the help of a few dilatometric sintering experiments the newly developed software calculates the MSC and finds the optimal activation energy of a given material. The software, which also enables sintering prediction, was verified by sintering tetragonal and cubic zirconia, and alumina of two different particle sizes.

Two-dimensional simulation of sintering process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasconcelos, Vanderley de; Pinto, Lucio Carlos Martins; Vasconcelos, Wander L.

1996-01-01

The results of two-dimensional simulations are directly applied to systems in which one of the dimensions is much smaller than the others, and to sections of three dimensional models. Moreover, these simulations are the first step of the analysis of more complex three-dimensional systems. In this work, two basic features of the sintering process are studied: the types of particle size distributions related to the powder production processes and the evolution of geometric parameters of the resultant microstructures during the solid-state sintering. Random packing of equal spheres is considered in the sintering simulation. The packing algorithm does not take into account the interactive forces between the particles. The used sintering algorithm causes the densification of the particle set. (author)

Two steps sintering alumina doped with niobia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomes, L.B.; Hatzfeld, J.; Heck, M.; Pokorny, A.; Bergmann, C.P.

2014-01-01

In this work, high surface area commercial alumina was doped with niobia and sintered in two steps in order to obtain dense materials with lower processing temperatures. The powders were milled and uniaxially pressed (200 MPa). The first step of sintering took place at 1100°C for 3, 6, 9 and 12 hours, followed by the second step at 1350°C for 3 hours. The relative density, porosity and water absorption of the samples were determined by the Archimedes method. The crystalline phases were analyzed by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and the morphology of the samples after sintering, evaluated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results indicate that the use of niobia combined with the two steps sintering promotes an increase in the density of the material, even at lower sintering temperatures. (author)

Chemically produced nanostructured ODS-lanthanum oxide-tungsten composites sintered by spark plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yar, Mazher Ahmed; Wahlberg, Sverker; Bergqvist, Hans; Salem, Hanadi G.; Johnsson, Mats; Muhammed, Mamoun

2011-01-01

High purity W and W-0.9La 2 O 3 (wt.%) nanopowders were produced by a wet chemical route. The precursor was prepared by the reaction of ammonium paratungstate (APT) with lanthanum salt in aqueous solutions. High resolution electron microscopy investigations revealed that the tungstate particles were coated with oxide precipitates. The precursor powder was reduced to tungsten metal with dispersed lanthanum oxide. Powders were consolidated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 1300 and 1400 o C to suppress grain growth during sintering. The final grain size relates to the SPS conditions, i.e. temperature and heating rate, regardless of the starting powder particle size. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that oxide phases were mainly accumulated at grain boundaries while the tungsten matrix constituted of nanosized sub-grains. The transmission electron microscopy revealed that the tungsten grains consist of micron-scale grains and finer sub-grains. EDX analysis confirmed the presence of W in dispersed oxide phases with varying chemical composition, which evidenced the presence of complex oxide phases (W-O-La) in the sintered metals.

Sintering and microstructure of ice: a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blackford, Jane R

2007-01-01

Sintering of ice is driven by the thermodynamic requirement to decrease surface energy. The structural morphology of ice in nature has many forms-from snowflakes to glaciers. These forms and their evolution depend critically on the balance between the thermodynamic and kinetic factors involved. Ice is a crystalline material so scientific understanding and approaches from more conventional materials can be applied to ice. The early models of solid state ice sintering are based on power law models originally developed in metallurgy. For pressure sintering of ice, these are based on work on hot isostatic pressing of metals and ceramics. Recent advances in recognizing the grain boundary groove geometry between sintering ice particles require models that use new approaches in materials science. The newer models of sintering in materials science are beginning to incorporate more realistic processing conditions and microstructural complexity, and so there is much to be gained from applying these to ice in the future. The vapour pressure of ice is high, which causes it to sublime readily. The main mechanism for isothermal sintering of ice particles is by vapour diffusion; however other transport mechanisms certainly contribute. Plastic deformation with power law creep combined with recrystallization become important mechanisms in sintering with external pressure. Modern experimental techniques, low temperature scanning electron microscopy and x-ray tomography, are providing new insights into the evolution of microstructures in ice. Sintering in the presence of a small volume fraction of the liquid phase causes much higher bond growth rates. This may be important in natural snow which contains impurities that form a liquid phase. Knowledge of ice microstructure and sintering is beneficial in understanding mechanical behaviour in ice friction and the stability of snow slopes prone to avalanches. (topical review)

Sintered cobalt-rare earth intermetallic product

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benz, M.C.

1975-01-01

A process is described for preparing novel sintered cobalt--rare earth intermetallic products which can be magnetized to form permanent magnets having stable improved magnetic properties. A cobalt--rare earth metal alloy is formed having a composition which at sintering temperature falls outside the composition covered by the single Co 5 R intermetallic phase on the rare earth richer side. The alloy contains a major amount of the Co 5 R intermetallic phase and a second solid CoR phase which is richer in rare earth metal content than the Co 5 R phase. The specific cobalt and rare earth metal content of the alloy is substantially the same as that desired in the sintered product. The alloy, in particulate form, is pressed into compacts and sintered to the desired density. The sintered product is comprised of a major amount of the Co 5 R solid intermetallic phase and up to about 35 percent of the product of the second solid CoR intermetallic phase which is richer in rare earth metal content than the Co 5 R phase

Sintered-to-size FBR fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rasmussen, D.E.; Schaus, P.S.

1984-04-01

Fabrication of sintered-to-size PuO 2 -UO 2 fuel pellets was completed for testing of proposed FBR product specifications. Approximately 6000 pellets were fabricated to two nominal diameters and two densities by cold pressing and sintering to size. Process control and correlation between test and production batches are discussed

Sintering of a class F fly ash

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joseph J. Biernacki; Anil K. Vazrala; H. Wayne Leimer [Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN (United States). Department of Chemical Engineering

2008-05-15

The sinterability of a class F fly ash was investigated as a function of processing conditions including sintering temperature (1050-1200{sup o}C) and sintering time (0-90 min). Density, shrinkage, splitting tensile strength, water absorption and residual loss on ignition (RLOI) were evaluated as measures of sintering efficiency. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray microanalysis and X-ray diffraction was used to examine microstructure and phase development due to processing. The results show that premature densification can inhibit complete carbon removal and that carbon combustion is influenced by both internal and external mass transfer conditions. 18 refs., 10 figs., 1 tab.

Sintering of nano crystalline o silicon carbide doping with

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Sinterable silicon carbide powders were prepared by attrition milling and chemical processing of an acheson type -SiC. Pressureless sintering of these powders was achieved by addition of aluminium nitride together with carbon. Nearly 99% sintered density was obtained. The mechanism of sintering was studied by ...

Sintering of nanopowders of ZrO_2 (Y_2O_3): Effect of compaction pressure on densification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmeira, Alexandre Alvarenga; Magnago, Roberto de Oliveira; Pereira, Glayce Cassaro; Bondioli, Marcelo Jose; Strecker, Kurt; Santos, Claudinei dos

2014-01-01

In this work studied the powders (nano) sintered of ZrO_2 (Y_2O_3) by dilatometry. Was identified the effect of compaction pressure variation in the final results of densification of materials. Powders were compacted at different compaction pressures. The compacts were subjected to temperatures of 1250°C to 1400°C with sintering levels ranging from 0 to 8 hours. Samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction and relative density using Archimedes method. The results were compared with powders (micro) of similar composition in order to compare the effect of particle size on densification parameters. The samples were further subjected to microstructural characterization in order to identify the average grain size of the sintering under each condition used in both materials. (author)

Monitoring Sintering Burn-Through Point Using Infrared Thermography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco G. Bulnes

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Sintering is a complex industrial process that applies heat to fine particles of iron ore and other materials to produce sinter, a solidified porous material used in blast furnaces. The sintering process needs to be carefully adjusted, so that the combustion zone reaches the bottom of the material just before the discharge end. This is known as the burnthrough point. Many different parameters need to be finely tuned, including the speed and the quantities of the materials mixed. However, in order to achieve good results, sintering control requires precise feedback to adjust these parameters. This work presents a sensor to monitor the sintering burn-through point based on infrared thermography. The proposed procedure is based on the acquisition of infrared images at the end of the sintering process. At this position, infrared images contain the cross-section temperatures of the mixture. The objective of this work is to process this information to extract relevant features about the sintering process. The proposed procedure is based on four steps: key frame detection, region of interest detection, segmentation and feature extraction. The results indicate that the proposed procedure is very robust and reliable, providing features that can be used effectively to control the sintering process.

The quantitative characterization of sintering of urania powders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, P.; Kulkarni, U.D.

1981-01-01

This paper presents a unified approach towards characterization of the sintering behaviour of UO 2 powders in terms of their extrinsic properties. Empirical equations connecting the sintering index with various powder parameters have been set up. The influence of various powder parameters, either individually or as dimensionless/dimensional groups, on the sintering behaviour has been studied. The relative importance of these factors has also been analysed. A good polynomial fit has been obtained for variation of sintering index with some of the powder parameters and dimensionless/dimensional groups. The equations are expected to provide a good basis for assessing the sinterability of UO 2 powders. (Auth.)

Microwave sintering of nano size powder β-TCP bioceramics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirhadi B.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A nano sized beta tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP powder was conventional sintered (CS and microwave sintered (MW, in order to obtain dense β-TCP ceramics. In this work the effect of microwave sintering conditions on the microstructure, phase composition and mechanical properties of materials based on tricalcium phosphate (TCP was investigated by SEM (scanning electron microscopyand XRD(X-ray diffraction and then compared with conventional sintered samples. Nano-size β-TCP powders with average grain size of 80 nm were prepared by the wet chemical precipitation method with calcium nitrate and diammonium hydrogen phosphate as calcium and phosphorus precursors, respectively. The precipitation process employed was also found to be suitable for the production of submicrometre β-TCP powder in situ. The β-TCP samples microwave (MW sintered for 15 min at 1100°C, with average grain size of 3μm, showed better densification, higher density and certainly higher hardness than samples conventionally sintered for 2 h at the same temperature. By comparing sintered and MW sintered β-TCP samples, it was concluded that MW sintered β-TCP samples have superior mechanical properties.

Effect of rigid inclusions on sintering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahaman, M.N.; De Jonghe, L.C.

1988-01-01

The predictions of recent theoretical studies on the effect of inert, rigid inclusions on the sintering of ceramic powder matrices are examined and compared with experimental data. The densification of glass matrix composites with inclusion volume fractions of ≤0.15 can be adequately explained by Scherer's theory for viscous sintering with rigid inclusions. Inclusions cause a vast reduction in the densification rates of polycrystalline matrix composites even at low inclusion volume fractions. Models put forward to explain the sintering of polycrystalline matrix composites are discussed

Final stage of high energy hadron-nucleus nuclear collision reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strugal'ski, Z.; Jedrzejec, H.; Strugalska-Gola, E.; Mulas, E.

1996-01-01

The final or 'slow' stage of the hadron-nucleus collision reactions at high energy is considered on the basis of the collision mechanism prompted experimentally. The transmutation process of the damaged target nucleus into nucleons and stable nuclear fragments is discussed. Relations between intensities or multiplicities n p of the emitted fast protons and the mean intensities or multiplicities b > of the evaporated nucleons and nuclear fragments are presented. 14 refs

Low temperature sintering of fluorapatite glass-ceramics

Science.gov (United States)

Denry, Isabelle; Holloway, Julie A.

2014-01-01

Fluorapatite glass-ceramics have been shown to be excellent candidates as scaffold materials for bone grafts, however, scaffold production by sintering is hindered by concurrent crystallization of the glass. Our goal was to investigate the effect of Ca/Al ratio on the sintering behavior of Nb-doped fluorapatite-based glasses in the SiO2-Al2O3-P2O5-MgO-Na2O-K2O-CaO-CaF2 system. Glass compositions with Ca/Al ratio of 1 (A), 2 (B), 4 (C) and 19 (D) were prepared by twice melting at 1525°C for 3h. Glasses were either cast as cylindrical ingots or ground into powders. Disc-shaped specimens were prepared by either sectioning from the ingots or powder-compacting in a mold, followed by heat treatment at temperatures ranging between 700 and 1050°C for 1h. The density was measured on both sintered specimens and heat treated discs as controls. The degree of sintering was determined from these measurements. XRD showed that fluorapatite crystallized in all glass-ceramics. A high degree of sintering was achieved at 775°C for glass-ceramic D (98.99±0.04%), and 900°C for glass-ceramic C (91.31±0.10). Glass-ceramics A or B were only partially sintered at 1000°C (63.6±0.8% and 74.1±1.5%, respectively). SEM revealed a unique microstructure of micron-sized spherulitic fluorapatite crystals in glass-ceramics C and D. Increasing the Ca/Al ratio promoted low temperature sintering of fluorapatite glass-ceramics, which are traditionally difficult to sinter. PMID:24252652

Sintering of Synroc D

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, G.

1982-01-01

Sintering has been investigated as a method for the mineralization and densification of high-level nuclear defense waste powder. Studies have been conducted on Synroc D composite powder LS04. Optimal densification has been found to be highly dependent on the characteristics of the starting material. Powder subjected to milling, which was believed to reduce the level of agglomeration and possibly particle size, was found to densify better than powder not subjected to this milling. Densities of greater than 95% of theoretical could be achieved for samples sintered at 1150 to 1200 0 C. Mineralogy was found to be as expected for Synroc D for samples sintered in a CO 2 /CO atmosphere where the Fe +2 /Fe +3 ratio was maintained at 1.0 to 5.75. In a more oxidizing, pure CO 2 atmosphere a new phase, not previously identified in Synroc D, was found

A finite difference model of the iron ore sinter process

OpenAIRE

Muller, J.; de Vries, T.L.; Dippenaar, B.A.; Vreugdenburg, J.C.

2015-01-01

Iron ore fines are agglomerated to produce sinter, which is an important feed material for blast furnaces worldwide. A model of the iron ore sintering process has been developed with the objective of being representative of the sinter pot test, the standard laboratory process in which the behaviour of specific sinter feed mixtures is evaluated. The model aims to predict sinter quality, including chemical quality and physical strength, as well as key sinter process performance parameters such ...

UO2 fuel pellets fabrication via Spark Plasma Sintering using non-standard molybdenum die

Science.gov (United States)

Papynov, E. K.; Shichalin, O. O.; Mironenko, A. Yu; Tananaev, I. G.; Avramenko, V. A.; Sergienko, V. I.

2018-02-01

The article investigates spark plasma sintering (SPS) of commercial uranium dioxide (UO2) powder of ceramic origin into highly dense fuel pellets using non-standard die instead of usual graphite die. An alternative and formerly unknown method has been suggested to fabricate UO2 fuel pellets by SPS for excluding of typical problems related to undesirable carbon diffusion. Influence of SPS parameters on chemical composition and quality of UO2 pellets has been studied. Also main advantages and drawbacks have been revealed for SPS consolidation of UO2 in non-standard molybdenum die. The method is very promising due to high quality of the final product (density 97.5-98.4% from theoretical, absence of carbon traces, mean grain size below 3 μm) and mild sintering conditions (temperature 1100 ºC, pressure 141.5 MPa, sintering time 25 min). The results are interesting for development and probable application of SPS in large-scale production of nuclear ceramic fuel.

Design of sintering-stable heterogeneous catalysts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gallas-Hulin, Agata

One of the major issues in the use of metal nanoparticles in heterogeneous catalysis is sintering. Sintering occurs at elevated temperatures because of increased mobility of nanoparticles, leading to their agglomeration and, as a consequence, to the deactivation of the catalyst. It is an emerging...... problem especially for the noble metals-based catalysis. These metals being expensive and scarce, it is worth developing catalyst systems which preserve their activity over time. Encapsulation of nanoparticles inside zeolites is one of the ways to prevent sintering. Entrapment of nanoparticles inside...

Solidification of HLLW into sintered ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O-Oka, K.; Ohta, T.; Masuda, S.; Tsunoda, N.

1979-01-01

Simulated HLLW from the PNC reprocessing plant at Tokai was solidified into sintered ceramics by normal sintering or hot-pressing with addition of some oxides. Among various ceramic products obtained so far, the most preferable was nepheline-type sintered solids formed with addition of SiO 2 and Al 2 O 3 to the simulated waste calcine. The solid shows advantageous properties in leach rate and mechanical strength, which suggest that the ceramic solids were prepared with additions of ZrO 2 or MnO 2 , and some of them showed good characteristics

Sintering boat transport system for the SAF line

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Egli, W.; Bogart, R.L.

1983-10-01

The Secure Automated Fabrication (SAF) line will be a remotely operated process for the manufacture of breeder reactor fuel pins. The sintering boat transport system will service the pellet operations. Since the Boat Transport System will be the major link between several subsystem operations, reliability and ease of maintenance are prime requirements for the design. A prototypic version of the Boat Transport System was designed, built and tested to verify the operability of the selected approach. Extensive testing provided valuable input to the final design and substantiated the soundness of the concept

SINTERING EFFECTS ON THE DENSIFICATION OF NANOCRYSTALLINE HYDROXYAPATITE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Amiriyan

2011-06-01

Full Text Available The effects of sintering profiles on the densification behaviour of synthesized nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite (HA powder were investigated in terms of phase stability and mechanical properties. A wet chemical precipitation method was successfully employed to synthesize a high purity and single phase HA powder. Green HA compacts were prepared and subjected to sintering in air atmosphere over a temperature range of 700° C to 1300° C. In this study two different holding times were compared, i.e. 1 minute versus the standard 120 minutes. The results revealed that the 1 minute holding time sintering profile was indeed effective in producing a HA body with high density of 98% theoretical when sintered at 1200° C. High mechanical properties such as fracture toughness of 1.41 MPa.m1/2 and hardness of 9.5 GPa were also measured for HA samples sintered under this profile. Additionally, XRD analysis indicated that decomposition of the HA phase during sintering at high temperatures was suppressed.

Improvement of mechanical strength of sintered Mo alloyed steel by optimization of sintering and cold-forging processes with densification

Science.gov (United States)

Kamakoshi, Y.; Shohji, I.; Inoue, Y.; Fukuda, S.

2017-10-01

Powder metallurgy (P/M) materials have been expected to be spread in automotive industry. Generally, since sintered materials using P/M ones contain many pores and voids, mechanical properties of them are inferior to those of conventional wrought materials. To improve mechanical properties of the sintered materials, densification is effective. The aim of this study is to improve mechanical strength of sintered Mo-alloyed steel by optimizing conditions in sintering and cold-forging processes. Mo-alloyed steel powder was compacted. Then, pre-sintering (PS) using a vacuum sintering furnace was conducted. Subsequently, coldforging (CF) by a backward extrusion method was conducted to the pre-sintered specimen. Moreover, the cold-forged specimen was heat treated by carburizing, tempering and quenching (CQT). Afterwards, mechanical properties were investigated. As a result, it was found that the density of the PS specimen is required to be more than 7.4 Mg/m3 to strengthen the specimen by heat treatment after CF. Furthermore, density and the microstructure of the PS specimen are most important factors to make the high density and strength material by CF. At the CF load of 1200 kN, the maximum density ratio reached approximately 99% by the use of the PS specimen with proper density and microstructure. At the CF load of 900 kN, although density ratio was high like more than 97.8%, transverse rupture strength decreased sharply. Since densification caused high shear stress and stress concentration in the surface layer, microcracks occurred by the damages of inter-particle sintered connection of the surface layer. On the contrary, in case of the CF load of 1200 kN, ultra-densification of the surface layer occurred by a sufficient plastic flow. Such sufficient compressed specimens regenerated the sintered connections by high temperature heat treatment and thus the high strength densified material was obtained. These processes can be applicable to near net shape manufacturing

Sintering Behavior of Spark Plasma Sintered SiC with Si-SiC Composite Nanoparticles Prepared by Thermal DC Plasma Process

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Yeon-Tae; Naik, Gautam Kumar; Lim, Young-Bin; Yoon, Jeong-Mo

2017-11-01

The Si-coated SiC (Si-SiC) composite nanoparticle was prepared by non-transferred arc thermal plasma processing of solid-state synthesized SiC powder and was used as a sintering additive for SiC ceramic formation. Sintered SiC pellet was prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) process, and the effect of nano-sized Si-SiC composite particles on the sintering behavior of micron-sized SiC powder was investigated. The mixing ratio of Si-SiC composite nanoparticle to micron-sized SiC was optimized to 10 wt%. Vicker's hardness and relative density was increased with increasing sintering temperature and holding time. The relative density and Vicker's hardness was further increased by reaction bonding using additional activated carbon to the mixture of micron-sized SiC and nano-sized Si-SiC. The maximum relative density (97.1%) and Vicker's hardness (31.4 GPa) were recorded at 1800 °C sintering temperature for 1 min holding time, when 0.2 wt% additional activated carbon was added to the mixture of SiC/Si-SiC.

Low temperature sintering of fluorapatite glass-ceramics.

Science.gov (United States)

Denry, Isabelle; Holloway, Julie A

2014-02-01

Fluorapatite glass-ceramics have been shown to be excellent candidates as scaffold materials for bone grafts, however, scaffold production by sintering is hindered by concurrent crystallization of the glass. Objective, our goal was to investigate the effect of Ca/Al ratio on the sintering behavior of Nb-doped fluorapatite-based glasses in the SiO2-Al2O3-P2O5-MgO-Na2O-K2O-CaO-CaF2 system. Methods, glass compositions with Ca/Al ratio of 1 (A), 2 (B), 4 (C) and 19 (D) were prepared by twice melting at 1525°C for 3h. Glasses were either cast as cylindrical ingots or ground into powders. Disk-shaped specimens were prepared by either sectioning from the ingots or powder-compacting in a mold, followed by heat treatment at temperatures ranging between 700 and 1050°C for 1h. The density was measured on both sintered specimens and heat treated discs as controls. The degree of sintering was determined from these measurements. Results and Significance XRD showed that fluorapatite crystallized in all glass-ceramics. A high degree of sintering was achieved at 775°C for glass-ceramic D (98.99±0.04%), and 900°C for glass-ceramic C (91.31±0.10). Glass-ceramics A or B were only partially sintered at 1000°C (63.6±0.8% and 74.1±1.5%, respectively). SEM revealed a unique microstructure of micron-sized spherulitic fluorapatite crystals in glass-ceramics C and D. Increasing the Ca/Al ratio promoted low temperature sintering of fluorapatite glass-ceramics, which are traditionally difficult to sinter. Copyright © 2013 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study of the sintering behavior of fine, ultrafine and nanocrystalline WC-CO mixtures obtained by high energy milling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salvador, M. D.; Bonache, V.; Amigo, V.; Busquets, D.

2008-01-01

In this work the sintering behaviour of fine, ultrafine and nanocrystalline WC-12Co mixtures obtained by high energy milling, as well commercial nano powders, have been studied, in order to evaluate the effect of the particle size and the powder processing, in the densification, microstructural development and mechanical properties of the final product. The consolidation of the mixtures has been made by uniaxial pressing and sintering in vacuum, and by hot isostatic pressing. The sintered materials have been evaluated by measures of density, hardness and indentation fracture toughness, and micro structurally characterized by optical microscopy and scanning and transmission electronic microscopy (SEM and TEM). The results show the improvements in resistant behaviour of the materials obtained from nanocrystalline powders, in spite of the grain growth experienced during the sintering. The best results were obtained for the milling nanocrystalline material, which presents values of hardness higher than 180 HV. (Author) 46 refs

Densification kinetics and structure formation during the high-pressure sintering of Al2O3-TiN powder systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neshpor, V.S.; Barashkov, G.A.; Nikitiuk, A.F.

1986-04-01

Specimens of alumina of varying specific surface and a composite material containing 80 pct alpha-Al2O3 and 20 pct TiN were sintered at 5 GPa for 30-480 s in the temperature range 1650-1750 K. It is found that the densification process is particularly intensive during the first 30-60 s. Under the conditions investigated, alpha-Al2O3 powder exhibits higher densification rates and final density (100 percent) than the ultradisperse TiN powder, whose final density is 96 percent. The results of the study suggest that densification is achieved through particle fragmentation and slip. Noticeable grain growth is observed for alumina only when the sintering time exceeds 2 min. 7 references.

Densification and volumetric change during supersolidus liquid phase sintering of prealloyed brass Cu28Zn powder: Modeling and optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammadzadeh A.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available An investigation has been made to use response surface methodology and central composite rotatable design for modeling and optimizing the effect of sintering variables on densification of prealloyed Cu28Zn brass powder during supersolidus liquid phase sintering. The mathematical equations were derived to predict sintered density, densification parameter, porosity percentage and volumetric change of samples using second order regression analysis. As well as the adequacy of models was evaluated by analysis of variance technique at 95% confidence level. Finally, the influence and interaction of sintering variables, on achieving any desired properties was demonstrated graphically in contour and three dimensional plots. In order to better analyze the samples, microstructure evaluation was carried out. It was concluded that response surface methodology based on central composite rotatable design, is an economical way to obtain arbitrary information with performing the fewest number of experiments in a short period of time.

Direct dissolution and supercritical fluid extraction of uranium from UO2 powder, granule, green pellet and sintered pellet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rao, Ankita; Kumar, Pradeep; Ramakumar, K.L.

2009-01-01

In the present work, direct dissolution and extraction of UO 2 from the solid rejects various stages of fuel fabrication viz. powder granules green pellet and, sintered pellet has been studied. Powder and granules could be easily dissolved in TBP-HNO 3 complex at 50 deg C., whereas in case of green and sintered pellets at elevated temperature at raised to 80 deg C in TBP-HNO 3 complex. With supercritical (SC) CO 2 alone the efficiency was ∼70%. But with SC CO 2 +2.5% TBP, the efficiency was ∼95% for powder and granules, and ∼60% for green and sintered pellets. Nearly complete extraction (∼99%) was achievable for SC CO 2 + 2.5 % TTA in all cases. The method has distinct advantage of elimination of acid usage and minimization of liquid waste generation. (author)

A study of pressureless microwave sintering, microwave-assisted hot press sintering and conventional hot pressing on properties of aluminium/alumina nanocomposite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abedinzadeh, Reza; Safavi, Seyed Mohsen; Karimzadeh, Fathallah [Isfahan University, Isfahan (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-05-15

Bulk Al/4wt-%Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanocomposites were prepared by consolidating nanocomposite powders using pressureless microwave sintering, microwave-assisted hot press sintering and conventional hot pressing techniques. Microstructural observations revealed that the microwave-assisted hot press sintering at different sintering temperatures of 400.deg.C and 500.deg.C resulted in more densification and smaller grain size for Al/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanocomposite as compared with the conventional hot pressing. Moreover, the application of pressure in microwave sintering process led to more densification and grain growth. Mechanical properties resulting from microhardness and nanoindentation tests were also compared between three-method processed samples. It was found that the microwave-assisted hot-pressed sample exhibited higher hardness and elastic modulus in comparison with microwave-sintered and conventional hot-pressed samples. The improvement in the mechanical properties can be ascribed to lower porosity of microwave-assisted hot-pressed sample.

Microstructural Analysis of Sintered Gradient Materials Based on Distaloy SE Powder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zarębski K.

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The study describes the microstructural analysis of cylindrically-shaped functionally graded products sintered from iron powder with scheduled graded structure on the cross-section running from the core to the surface layer of the sinter. Different types of structure were produced using Distaloy SE powder in two compositions - one without the addition of carbon, and another with 0.6wt% C. Two methods were used to fill the die cavity and shape the products. The first method involving a two-step compaction of individual layers. The second method using an original technique of die filling enabled the formation of transition zone between the outer layer and the core still at the stage of product shaping. As part of microstructural analysis, structural constituents were identified and voids morphology was examined. Studies covered the effect of the type of the applied method on properties of the graded zone obtained in the manufactured products

The European Dioxin Emission Inventory. Stage II. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quass, U.; Fermann, M.; Broeker, G.

2001-07-01

For Stage II of the European Dioxin Project the following objectives were set: - Amendment of existing emission data collected for most relevant emission sources in order to reduce uncertainties of emission estimates. Collecting first emission data from countries not yet performing dioxin emission measurement programs. Extending the inventory of dioxin emissions to ambient air produced in Stage I by a complementary study on emissions to land and water. Extending the regional scope of data collection to countries in Central Europe. The report of Stage II of the European Dioxin Project is presented in 3 Volumes. Volume 1 contains an overview on the background and approach of different activities carried out and on the results obtained. These results are put into a broader view regarding the dioxin reduction measures in Europe leading to conclusions and recommendation for future work. Volume 2 of the report contains a detailed presentation of the sub-projects carried out. The chapters of Volume 2 are structured in a similar manner and start with a short summary in order to allow for a fast cross-reading. In the case of the desk-top studies an overview of the main results or statements is given. Regarding emission measurements details on the experimental set-up and the facilities being investigated are presented. Volume 3 contains a re-evaluation of the dioxin emission inventory presented for the most relevant sources types in the Stage I report. New data gathered from the projects of Stage II as well as from independent activities in the European countries are considered for a revision of the 1995 emission estimates. Additionally, based on current trends and activities the PCDD/F emissions for the years 2000 and 2005 are estimated. Finally, an attempt is made to evaluate the PCDD/F emission reduction rates which might be possible to achieve by the year 2005 compared to 1985. (orig.)

Comparative sinterability of combustion synthesized and commercial titanium carbides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manley, B.W.

1984-11-01

The influence of various parameters on the sinterability of combustion synthesized titanium carbide was investigaged. Titanium carbide powders, prepared by the combustion synthesis process, were sintered in the temperature range 1150 to 1600 0 C. Incomplete combustion and high oxygen contents were found to be the cause of reduced shrinkage during sintering of the combustion syntheized powders when compared to the shrinkage of commercial TiC. Free carbon was shown to inhibit shrinkage. The activation energy for sintering was found to depend on stoichiometry (C/Ti). With decreasing C/Ti, the rate of sintering increased. 29 references, 16 figures, 13 tables

Densification of LSGM electrolytes using activated microwave sintering

Science.gov (United States)

Kesapragada, S. V.; Bhaduri, S. B.; Bhaduri, S.; Singh, P.

Lanthanum gallate doped with alkaline rare earths (LSGM) powders were densified using an activated microwave sintering process for developing a dense stable electrolyte layer for applications in intermediate temperature-solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). Due to heat generation in situ, the process of sintering gets activated with faster kinetics compared to a conventional sintering process. The effect of various microwave process parameters on the microstructure and phase formation was studied. The sintered pellets were characterized using scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive analysis (SEM-EDAX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The density of LSGM pellets microwave sintered at 1350 °C for 20 min is greater than 95% theoretical density with a fine grained microstructure (˜2-3 μm) and without the presence of other phase(s).

The sintering behavior of close-packed spheres

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjørk, Rasmus; Tikare, V.; Frandsen, Henrik Lund

2012-01-01

The sintering behavior of close-packed spheres is investigated using a numerical model. The investigated systems are the body-centered cubic (bcc), face-centered cubic (fcc) and hexagonal close-packed spheres (hcp). The sintering behavior is found to be ideal, with no grain growth until full dens...... density is reached for all systems. During sintering, the grains change shape from spherical to tetrakaidecahedron, similar to the geometry analyzed by Coble [R.L. Coble, J. Appl. Phys. 32 (1961) 787]....

Sintering Behavior of Spark Plasma Sintered SiC with Si-SiC Composite Nanoparticles Prepared by Thermal DC Plasma Process.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Yeon-Tae; Naik, Gautam Kumar; Lim, Young-Bin; Yoon, Jeong-Mo

2017-11-25

The Si-coated SiC (Si-SiC) composite nanoparticle was prepared by non-transferred arc thermal plasma processing of solid-state synthesized SiC powder and was used as a sintering additive for SiC ceramic formation. Sintered SiC pellet was prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) process, and the effect of nano-sized Si-SiC composite particles on the sintering behavior of micron-sized SiC powder was investigated. The mixing ratio of Si-SiC composite nanoparticle to micron-sized SiC was optimized to 10 wt%. Vicker's hardness and relative density was increased with increasing sintering temperature and holding time. The relative density and Vicker's hardness was further increased by reaction bonding using additional activated carbon to the mixture of micron-sized SiC and nano-sized Si-SiC. The maximum relative density (97.1%) and Vicker's hardness (31.4 GPa) were recorded at 1800 °C sintering temperature for 1 min holding time, when 0.2 wt% additional activated carbon was added to the mixture of SiC/Si-SiC.

Effects of sintering temperature on the density and porosity

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2013-03-01

bonding) between the salt beads at all the temperatures in which sintering was performed. .... and the sintering of some covalent solids and low- stability ceramics. The entire sintering process is gen- erally considered to occur in ...

Sintering characteristics of nano-ceramic coatings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Hosson, J.T.M.; Popma, R.

2003-01-01

This paper concentrates on sintering characteristics of nano-sized ceramic SiO2 particles. The sintering process is studied as a function of temperature using a conventional furnace and using a laser beam. The underlying idea is to combine the nanoceramic sol-gel concept with inkjet technology and

Patient satisfaction with laser-sintered removable partial dentures: A crossover pilot clinical trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Almufleh, Balqees; Emami, Elham; Alageel, Omar; de Melo, Fabiana; Seng, Francois; Caron, Eric; Nader, Samer Abi; Al-Hashedi, Ashwaq; Albuquerque, Rubens; Feine, Jocelyne; Tamimi, Faleh

2018-04-01

Clinical data regarding newly introduced laser-sintered removable partial dentures (RPDs) are needed before this technique can be recommended. Currently, only a few clinical reports have been published, with no clinical studies. This clinical trial compared short-term satisfaction in patients wearing RPDs fabricated with conventional or computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) laser-sintering technology. Twelve participants with partial edentulism were enrolled in this pilot crossover double-blinded clinical trial. Participants were randomly assigned to wear cast or CAD-CAM laser-sintered RPDs for alternate periods of 30 days. The outcome of interest was patient satisfaction as measured using the McGill Denture Satisfaction Instrument. Assessments was conducted at 1, 2, and 4 weeks. The participant's preference in regard to the type of prosthesis was assessed at the final evaluation. The linear mixed effects regression models for repeated measures were used to analyze the data, using the intention-to-treat principle. To assess the robustness of potential, incomplete adherence, sensitivity analyses were conducted. Statistically significant differences were found in patients' satisfaction between the 2 methods of RPD fabrication. Participants were significantly more satisfied with laser-sintered prostheses than cast prostheses in regard to general satisfaction, ability to speak, ability to clean, comfort, ability to masticate, masticatory efficiency, and oral condition (Premovable partial dentures may lead to better outcomes in terms of patient satisfaction in the short term. The conclusion from this pilot study requires confirmation by a larger randomized controlled trial. ClinicalTrials.gov. A study about patient satisfaction with laser-sintered removable partial dentures; NCT02769715. Copyright © 2017 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Removable partial denture alloys processed by laser-sintering technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Alageel, Omar; Abdallah, Mohamed-Nur; Alsheghri, Ammar; Song, Jun; Caron, Eric; Tamimi, Faleh

2018-04-01

Removable partial dentures (RPDs) are traditionally made using a casting technique. New additive manufacturing processes based on laser sintering has been developed for quick fabrication of RPDs metal frameworks at low cost. The objective of this study was to characterize the mechanical, physical, and biocompatibility properties of RPD cobalt-chromium (Co-Cr) alloys produced by two laser-sintering systems and compare them to those prepared using traditional casting methods. The laser-sintered Co-Cr alloys were processed by the selective laser-sintering method (SLS) and the direct metal laser-sintering (DMLS) method using the Phenix system (L-1) and EOS system (L-2), respectively. L-1 and L-2 techniques were 8 and 3.5 times more precise than the casting (CC) technique (p laser-sintered and cast alloys were biocompatible. In conclusion, laser-sintered alloys are more precise and present better mechanical and fatigue properties than cast alloys for RPDs. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1174-1185, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Dynamics of process at the final stage of nuclear fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koljari, I.G.; Mavlitov, N.D.

2005-01-01

Numerous experimental data show, that the final stage of nuclear fission near to a scission point plays an essential role at formation of characteristics of fission products. At the description of a final stage of fission there is a number of problems: Definition of the form of the nuclear near the scission point and definition forms of a fission fragments; The account of dynamic processes in compound nuclear directly before of fission. The condition of the quasistatic al adiabatic process - dS/dt=0 - is applied in a point of transition from the uniform compound nuclei to several forms for definition of generalized coordinates and speeds. Calculation of dependence of post neutrons from nuclear mass of fission fragments for reactions is α+ 83 Bi 209 → 85 At 213 (E lab = 45 MeV); α+ 92 U 242 → 94 Pu 242 (E lab = 45 MeV); 8 O 18 + 79 Au 197 → 97 Fr 215 (E lab = 159 MeV). System of equations, which describes behaviour of system in a point of nuclear fission-transition from the uniform form to system of a two (and, probably more) fission fragments is given. The system of the equations allows in a fission point to define the generalized coordinates, and the generalized speeds for each of the generalized coordinates of collective deformation variables

Nano-composite powders Ag-SnO2 prepared by reactive milling sintering and microstructural evolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lorrain, Nathalie

2000-01-01

This work aims at controlling the synthesis and the sintering of nano-composite powders Ag-SnO 2 in order to obtain a dense and nano-structured material for electrical contact as a substitute of the toxic compound Ag - CdO. The powder is prepared by reactive milling from silver oxide (Ag 2 O) and silver bronze (Ag 3 Sn) powders. This process leads to a fine dispersion of silver and tin oxide nanometer sized particles. We first studied the mechanisms of reaction promoted by milling in vacuum and in air. A two-stage oxidation of tin in Ag 3 Sn occurs: during forced contact with Ag 2 O, tin oxidises in SnO, then in SnO 2 . In air, gaseous oxygen also participates to the oxidation of tin in SnO 2 but the reaction is slower because of the formation of silver carbonates from a reaction of Ag 2 O with CO 2 .Then the sintering behaviour of the nano-composite powder as a function of the compacting pressure and of the heating rate has been studied. We show: (i) a diffusion of pure silver towards porosity and free surfaces (exo-diffusion) which destroys the nano-structure and (ii) a severe de-densification. We show that the origin of these phenomena is due to carbonates on to the Ag 2 O starting powder, which are incorporated, in the milled Ag-SnO 2 powder in course of milling; during sintering, decomposition gases generate internal stresses. Low stresses lead to a diffusional creep with exo-diffusion whereas high stresses induce an intensive de-densification by local plastic deformation but no exo-diffusion. A modelling shows that exo-diffusion is limited by heating very quickly a strongly compacted powder that contains a high quantity of carbonates. The experimental results confirm the predictions of the model. Finally, we propose solutions allowing a full densification and a process for decreasing the tin oxide concentration. (author) [fr

Sintering equation: determination of its coefficients by experiments - using multiple regression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Windelberg, D.

1999-01-01

Sintering is a method for volume-compression (or volume-contraction) of powdered or grained material applying high temperature (less than the melting point of the material). Maekipirtti tried to find an equation which describes the process of sintering by its main parameters sintering time, sintering temperature and volume contracting. Such equation is called a sintering equation. It also contains some coefficients which characterise the behaviour of the material during the process of sintering. These coefficients have to be determined by experiments. Here we show that some linear regressions will produce wrong coefficients, but multiple regression results in an useful sintering equation. (orig.)

Immobilization of Uranium Silicides in Sintered Glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mateos, P.; Russo, D.O.; Heredia, A.D.; Sanfilippo, M.

2003-01-01

High activity nuclear spent fuels vitrification by fusion is a well known technology which has industrial scale in France, England, Japan, EEUU. Borosilicates glasses are used in this process.Sintered glasses are an alternative to the immobilization task in which there is also a wide experience around the world.The available technics are: cold pressing and sintering , hot-pressing and hot isostatic pressing.This work compares Borosilicates and Iron silicates sintered glasses behaviour when different ammounts of nuclear simulated waste is added

Granulation of coke breeze fine for using in the sintering process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed F.M.

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Coke breeze is the main fuel used in the sintering process. The value of -3+1 mm. represents the most favorable particle size for coke breeze in the sintering process. About 20% of total coke fines (-0.5 mm are produced during different steps of preparation. Introducing these fines during the sintering process proves to be very harmful for different operating parameters. Thus ,this study aims at investigating the production of granules resulting from these fines using molasses as organic binder and its application in sintering of an iron ore. The results showed that the granules having the highest mechanical properties were obtained with 14.5 wt % molasses addition. The sintering experiments were performed by using coke breeze in different shapes (-3+1 mm in size, coke breeze without sieving and coke breeze granules -3+1 mm. The reduction experiments, microscopic structure and X-ray analysis for the produced sinter were carried out. The results revealed that, all sinter properties (such as shatter test, productivity of sinter machine and blast furnace, reduction time and chemical composition for produced sinter by using coke breeze with size -3+1 mm and coke breeze granules were almost the same. The iron ore sinter which was produced by using coke breeze without sieving yielded low productivity for both sinter machine and blast furnace. Furthermore, using coke breeze without sieving in sintering of an iron ore decreases the vertical velocity of sinter machine and increases the reduction time.

The Influence of the Basic Styrofoam Patterns Final Shaping Parameters on the Resistance Properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Pacyniak

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This work presents the analysis of the final shaping process of the patterns aimed at determining the influence of the pressure and the time of sintering on the resistance to bending. The analysis of the research results proved that when the pressure of the sintering rises and reaches Ps=2.1 bar the resistance to bending increases, above this level of the pressure the resistance value starts decreasing. The time of styrofoam sintering at which the highest bending resistance values were obtained is ts=90 s. When the sintering pressure is less than 2 bar prolongation of the time of sintering over 90 s causes a slight increase in the resistance, however, at higher pressures prolongation of the time of sintering causes submelting of the styrofoam pattern.

The Influence of the Basic Styrofoam Patterns Final Shaping Parameters on the Resistance Properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pacyniak T.

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This work presents the analysis of the final shaping process of the patterns aimed at determining the influence of the pressure and the time of sintering on the resistance to bending. The analysis of the research results proved that when the pressure of the sintering rises and reaches Ps=2.1 bar the resistance to bending increases, above this level of the pressure the resistance value starts decreasing. The time of styrofoam sintering at which the highest bending resistance values were obtained is ts=90s. When the sintering pressure is less than 2 bar prolongation of the time of sintering over 90 s causes a slight increase in the resistance, however, at higher pressures prolongation of the time of sintering causes submelting of the styrofoam pattern.

Synergistic effect of carbon nanotube as sintering aid and toughening agent in spark plasma sintered molybdenum disilicide-hafnium carbide composite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mukherjee, Biswajyoti; Asiq Rahman, O.S.; Sribalaji, M [Materials Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Patna, Bihta Kanpa Road, Bihta, Patna, Bihar 801103 (India); Bakshi, Srinivasa Rao [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036 (India); Keshri, Anup Kumar, E-mail: anup@iitp.ac.in [Materials Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Patna, Bihta Kanpa Road, Bihta, Patna, Bihar 801103 (India)

2016-12-15

Hafnium carbide (HfC) along with sintering aids was consolidated at a relatively lower temperature i.e. 1600 °C (i.e. T=~0.41 T{sub m}) under a uniaxial load of 50 MPa by spark plasma sintering. Two different sintering aids such as molybdenum disilicide (MoSi{sub 2}) and carbon nanotube (CNT) were added to enhance the densification and lower the extent of grain growth in the sintered pellets. Density of the sintered pellet increased from 96.0±0.8% in HfC +5 wt% MoSi{sub 2} (HM) to 99.0±0.5% with the addition of 2 wt% CNT in HfC+5 wt% MoSi{sub 2} (HMC) at sintering temperature of 1600 °C. Further, the extent of grain growth drastically reduced from 204% in HM to 50% in HMC. Analysis of linear shrinkage during densification revealed that CNT addition increased densification rate and decreased the time required to reach the density of 99.0±0.5% at 1600 °C. Increased densification and lower degree of grain growth could be due to the synergistic effect offered by the CNT, which are as follows: (i) Lubrication effect of CNT, (ii) Lower activation energy for grain boundary diffusion (iii) Reduction in liquid phase sintering temperature and (iv) Grain boundary pinning. Fracture toughness of the sintered HM and HMC composite was obtained using indentation technique. By the addition of 2 wt% CNT in HM, drastic increase of 91% in fracture toughness was seen. This significant improvement in fracture toughness was due to the enhanced densification and relatively lower grain size of HMC. Also crack bridging, crack deflection, crack arrest, CNT and graphene sheet pull-out and swording played major role in toughening of HMC pellet.

Pressless process in route of obtaining sintered Nd–Fe–B magnets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Popov, A.G, E-mail: apopov@imp.uran.ru [Institute of Metal Physics, UB of the RAS, 18, S. Kovalevskoy, Street, 620990 Ekaterinburg (Russian Federation); Golovnia, O.A. [Institute of Metal Physics, UB of the RAS, 18, S. Kovalevskoy, Street, 620990 Ekaterinburg (Russian Federation); Bykov, V.A. [Institute of Metallurgy, UB of the RAS, 101, Amundsena, Street, 620016 Ekaterinburg (Russian Federation)

2015-06-01

A short review on the pressless process (PLP) involved in the manufacture of sintered Nd–Fe–B magnet is given. Two approaches to increasing the degree of powder alignment with a high filling density ρ{sub f} in PLP-containers are proposed. (1) An increase in the pulse duration of applied magnetic field from 3.6 to 6.5 ms enhances the magnetic alignment of magnets prepared from the powder with ρ{sub f}=2.5 g/cm{sup 3} and ρ{sub f}=3 g/cm{sup 3} by 3% and 11%, respectively. (2) Addition of internal lubricants such as zinc stearate or esters reduces friction forces between the powder particles and, when the concentration of lubricants is bellow a critical concentration C{sub cr}, increases B{sub r} and (BH){sub max} by 5–7%. Simulation of the magnetic alignment of uniaxial particles demonstrates that a decrease in the coefficient of friction between the powder particles from 0.9 to 0.6 caused by the lubricant addition enhances the alignment degree. Contact dilatometry was used to study the anisotropy of densification of PLP-powders upon sintering. It has been shown that the anisotropy of the powder shrinkage is formed at the first stage of sintering at the temperature about 800 °C and is caused by the capillary action in the Nd-rich liquid. - Highlights: • A review of the pressless process for NdFeB magnets in the world and Russia is given. • Enhancement of the alignment degree by application of pulsed magnetic field is studied. • Reduction of the friction forces via addition of internal lubricants is proposed. • The simulation of the magnetic alignment of Nd–Fe–B uniaxial particles is presented. • A reason of anisotropic shrinkage of the powder at sintering is suggested.

Sintering diagrams of UO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohan, A.; Soni, N.C.; Moorthy, V.K.

1979-01-01

Ashby's method (see Acta Met., vol. 22, p. 275, 1974) of constructing sintering diagrams has been modified to obtain contribution diagrams directly from the computer. The interplay of sintering variables and mechanisms are studied and the factors that affect the participation of mechanisms in UO 2 are determined. By studying the physical properties, it emerges that the order of inaccuracies is small in most cases and do not affect the diagrams. On the other hand, even a 10% error in activation energies, which is quite plausible, would make a significant difference to the diagram. The main criticism of Ashby's approach is that the numerous properties and equations used, communicate their inaccuracies to the diagrams and make them unreliable. The present study has considerably reduced the number of factors that need to be refined to make the sintering diagrams more meaningful. (Auth.)

Powder metallurgy: Solid and liquid phase sintering of copper

Science.gov (United States)

Sheldon, Rex; Weiser, Martin W.

1993-01-01

Basic powder metallurgy (P/M) principles and techniques are presented in this laboratory experiment. A copper based system is used since it is relatively easy to work with and is commercially important. In addition to standard solid state sintering, small quantities of low melting metals such as tin, zinc, lead, and aluminum can be added to demonstrate liquid phase sintering and alloy formation. The Taguchi Method of experimental design was used to study the effect of particle size, pressing force, sintering temperature, and sintering time. These parameters can be easily changed to incorporate liquid phase sintering effects and some guidelines for such substitutions are presented. The experiment is typically carried out over a period of three weeks.

Ash chemistry and sintering, verification of the mechanisms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hupa, M; Skrifvars, B J; Backman, R; Lauren, T; Uusikartano, T; Malm, H; Stenstroem, P; Vesterkvist, M [Aabo Akademi, Turku (Finland). Combustion Chemistry Research Group

1997-10-01

In this project four sintering mechanisms have been studied, i.e., partial melting with a viscous liquid, partial melting with a non-viscous liquid, chemical reaction sintering and solid state sintering. The work has aimed at improving the understanding of ash sintering mechanisms and quantifying their role in combustion and gasification. The work has been oriented in particular on the understanding of biomass ash behavior. The work has not directly focused on any specific technical application. However, results can also be applied on other fuels such as brown coal, petroleum coke, black liquor and different types of wastes (PDF, RDF, MSW). During 1996 the work has focused on identifying bed agglomeration mechanisms and analysing bed agglomerates in both full scale and lab scale FB reactors, as well as comparing how well the compression strength based sintering test can predict bed agglomeration in an FB furnace. (orig.)

Rapid laser sintering of metal nano-particles inks.

Science.gov (United States)

Ermak, Oleg; Zenou, Michael; Toker, Gil Bernstein; Ankri, Jonathan; Shacham-Diamand, Yosi; Kotler, Zvi

2016-09-23

Fast sintering is of importance in additive metallization processes and especially on sensitive substrates. This work explores the mechanisms which set limits to the laser sintering rate of metal nano-particle inks. A comparison of sintering behavior of three different ink compositions with laser exposure times from micro-seconds to seconds reveals the dominant factor to be the organic content (OC) in the ink. With a low OC silver ink, of 2% only, sintering time falls below 100 μs with resistivity <×4 bulk silver. Still shorter exposure times result in line delamination and deformation with a similar outcome when the OC is increased.

Final Stage Development of Reactor Console Simulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohamad Idris Taib; Ridzuan Abdul Mutalib; Zareen Khan Abdul Jalil Khan; Mohd Khairulezwan Abdul Manan; Mohd Sabri Minhat; Nurfarhana Ayuni Joha

2013-01-01

The Reactor Console Simulator PUSPATI TRIGA Reactor was developed since end of 2011 and now in the final stage of development. It is will be an interactive tool for operator training and teaching of PUSPATI TRIGA Reactor. Behavior and characteristic for reactor console and reactor itself can be evaluated and understand. This Simulator will be used as complement for actual present reactor console. Implementation of human system interface (HSI) is using computer screens, keyboard and mouse. Multiple screens are used to match the physical of present reactor console. LabVIEW software are using for user interface and mathematical calculation. Polynomial equation based on control rods calibration data as well as operation parameters record was used to calculate and estimated reactor console parameters. The capabilities in user interface, reactor physics and thermal-hydraulics can be expanded and explored to simulation as well as modeling for New Reactor Console, Research Reactor and Nuclear Power Plant. (author)

The pressureless sintering and mechanical properties of AlON ceramic

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, N., E-mail: zhangning5832@163.com [Key Lab. of Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technology of Liaoning Province, Shenyang University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110044 (China); Liang, B.; Wang, X.Y.; Kan, H.M.; Zhu, K.W. [Key Lab. of Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technology of Liaoning Province, Shenyang University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110044 (China); Zhao, X.J. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Materials and Metallurgy, Northeastern University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110004 (China)

2011-07-25

Highlights: {yields} A one-step pressureless sintering process was proposed, which is simple and viable. {yields} Cheap and easily available {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and aluminum powders were chosen as raw materials substituting for expensive AlN ultrafine powders. {yields} The sintering temperature of AlON ceramic was reduced by 50 deg. C and the flexural strength was enhanced by 29.4%. - Abstract: Aluminum oxynitride (AlON) ceramic was synthesized by one-step pressureless sintering technology using low cost and easily available {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and aluminum powders as raw materials. The sintering temperature was reduced because aluminum powders were nitridized into high activity AlN under the flowing nitrogen atmosphere. The curves of thermal analysis, microstructure and atomic distribution were investigated. The influence of sintering temperatures on phase composition, sintering densification and flexural strength was also explored. The experimental results showed that {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and aluminum powders were acceptable substitutes for more expensive AlN ultrafine powders. Under the optimum sintering process at 1750 deg. C for 2 h, the sintered density and flexural strength of AlON ceramic were higher, 3.62 g/cm{sup 3} and 321 MPa, respectively. The sintering temperature was decreased by 50 deg. C because newly formed high activity AlN in situ reacted with Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} into Al{sub 23}O{sub 27}N{sub 5}, enhancing flexural strength by 29.4%. However, the sintering temperature could not be too high because grain growth and displacement of oxygen atoms from AlON ceramics by nitrogen atoms caused a decline in sintering densification and flexural strength.

Open-Source Selective Laser Sintering (OpenSLS) of Nylon and Biocompatible Polycaprolactone.

Science.gov (United States)

Kinstlinger, Ian S; Bastian, Andreas; Paulsen, Samantha J; Hwang, Daniel H; Ta, Anderson H; Yalacki, David R; Schmidt, Tim; Miller, Jordan S

2016-01-01

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is an additive manufacturing process that uses a laser to fuse powdered starting materials into solid 3D structures. Despite the potential for fabrication of complex, high-resolution structures with SLS using diverse starting materials (including biomaterials), prohibitive costs of commercial SLS systems have hindered the wide adoption of this technology in the scientific community. Here, we developed a low-cost, open-source SLS system (OpenSLS) and demonstrated its capacity to fabricate structures in nylon with sub-millimeter features and overhanging regions. Subsequently, we demonstrated fabrication of polycaprolactone (PCL) into macroporous structures such as a diamond lattice. Widespread interest in using PCL for bone tissue engineering suggests that PCL lattices are relevant model scaffold geometries for engineering bone. SLS of materials with large powder grain size (~500 μm) leads to part surfaces with high roughness, so we further introduced a simple vapor-smoothing technique to reduce the surface roughness of sintered PCL structures which further improves their elastic modulus and yield stress. Vapor-smoothed PCL can also be used for sacrificial templating of perfusable fluidic networks within orthogonal materials such as poly(dimethylsiloxane) silicone. Finally, we demonstrated that human mesenchymal stem cells were able to adhere, survive, and differentiate down an osteogenic lineage on sintered and smoothed PCL surfaces, suggesting that OpenSLS has the potential to produce PCL scaffolds useful for cell studies. OpenSLS provides the scientific community with an accessible platform for the study of laser sintering and the fabrication of complex geometries in diverse materials.

Solid state synthesis and sintering of monazite-type ceramics: application to minor actinides conditioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bregiroux, D.

2005-11-01

In the framework of the French law of 1991 concerning the nuclear waste management, several studies are undertaken to develop specific crystalline conditioning matrices. Monazite, a rare earth (TR 3+ ) orthophosphate with a general formula TR 3+ PO 4 , is a natural mineral containing significant amount of thorium and uranium. Monazite has been proposed as a host matrix for the minor actinides (Np, Am and Cm) specific conditioning, thanks to its high resistance to self irradiation and its low solubility. Its is now of prime importance to check the conservation of these properties on synthesized materials, which implies to master all the stages of the elaboration process, from the powder synthesis to the sintering of controlled microstructure pellets. This work can be divided into two main parts: The first part deals with the synthesis by high temperature solid state route of TR 3+ PO 4 powders (with TR 3+ = La 3+ to Gd 3+ , Pu 3+ and Am 3+ ). The chemical reactions occurring during the firing of starting reagents are described in the case of monazite with only one or several cations. From these results, a protocol of synthesis is described. The incorporation of tetravalent cations (Ce 4+ , U 4+ , Pu 4+ ) in the monazite structure was also studied. The second part of the present work deals with the elaboration of controlled density and microstructure monazite pellets and their related mechanical and thermal properties. The study of crushing and sintering is presented. For the first time, experimental results are confronted with theoretical models in order to deduce the densification and grain growth mechanisms. By the comprehension of the various physicochemical phenomena occurring during the various stages of the monazite pellets elaboration process (powder synthesis, crushing, sintering...), this work allowed the development of a protocol of elaboration of controlled microstructure monazite TR 3+ PO 4 pellets. The determination of some mechanical and thermal

Coarsening-densification transition temperature in sintering of uranium dioxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balakrishna, Palanki; Narasimha Murty, B.; Chakraborthy, K.P.; Jayaraj, R.N.; Ganguly, C.

2001-01-01

The concept of coarsening-densification transition temperature (CDTT) has been proposed to explain the experimental observations of the study of sintering undoped uranium dioxide and niobia-doped uranium dioxide powder compacts in argon atmosphere in a laboratory tubular furnace. The general method for deducing CDTT for a given material under the prevailing conditions of sintering and the likely variables that influence the CDTT are described. Though the present work is specific in nature for uranium dioxide sintering in argon atmosphere, the concept of CDTT is fairly general and must be applicable to sintering of any material and has immense potential to offer advantages in designing and/or optimizing the profile of a sintering furnace, in the diagnosis of the fault in the process conditions of sintering, and so on. The problems of viewing the effect of heating rate only in terms of densification are brought out in the light of observing the undesirable phenomena of coring and bloating and causes were identified and remedial measures suggested

Recrystallization and embrittlement of sintered tungsten

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bega, N.D.; Babak, A.V.; Uskov, E.I.

1982-01-01

The recrystallization of sintered tungsten with a cellular structure of deformation is studied as related to its embrittlement. It is stated that in case of preliminary recrystallization the sintered tungsten crack resistance does not depend on the testing temperature. The tungsten crack resistance is shown to lower with an increase of the structure tendency to primary recrystallization [ru

Effect of sintering temperature on the microstructure and properties of foamed glass-ceramics prepared from high-titanium blast furnace slag and waste glass

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chang-hong; Feng, Ke-qin; Zhou, Yu; Zhou, Hong-ling

2017-08-01

Foamed glass-ceramics were prepared via a single-step sintering method using high-titanium blast furnace slag and waste glass as the main raw materials The influence of sintering temperature (900-1060°C) on the microstructure and properties of foamed glass-ceramics was studied. The results show that the crystal shape changed from grainy to rod-shaped and finally turned to multiple shapes as the sintering temperature was increased from 900 to 1060°C. With increasing sintering temperature, the average pore size of the foamed glass-ceramics increased and subsequently decreased. By contrast, the compressive strength and the bulk density decreased and subsequently increased. An excessively high temperature, however, induced the coalescence of pores and decreased the compressive strength. The optimal properties, including the highest compressive strength (16.64 MPa) among the investigated samples and a relatively low bulk density (0.83 g/cm3), were attained in the case of the foamed glass-ceramics sintered at 1000°C.

Preparation of Nd–Fe–B sintered magnets from HDDR-processed powder

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takagi, Kenta, E-mail: k-takagi@aist.go.jp [Green Innovative Magnetic Materials Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Nagoya 463-8560 (Japan); Akada, Misaho [Magnetic Materials R& D Center, Research Associations of Magnetic Materials for High-Efficiency Motors (MagHEM), Nagoya 463-8560 (Japan); Soda, Rikio; Ozaki, Kimihiro [Green Innovative Magnetic Materials Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Nagoya 463-8560 (Japan)

2015-11-01

The electric-current sintering technique was used to fully densify hydrogenation–disproportionation–desorption–recombination (HDDR)-processed Nd–Fe–B powder at temperatures below the grain growth temperature in order to produce high-coercive bulk magnets. However, the sintered magnets exhibited anomalous coercivity reduction that depended on sintered density. Reheating examination of the sintered magnets revealed that the reduced coercivity was increased in proportion to the heating temperature, resulting in complete recovery of coercivity. As a result, the combination of electric-current sintering and post-annealing produced sintered magnets with a coercivity of 15 kOe. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed no evidence that associated the anomalous coercivity reduction and recovery with grain boundary morphology. On the other hand, various HDDR powders with different particle sizes were sintered, and finer powders yielded lower coercivity after sintering, implying that the anomalous coercivity reduction was associated with particle surface oxides of the raw powder. - Highlights: • We conduct a sintering of HDDR-processed Nd–Fe–B powder without coercivity reduction. • Rapid current sintering allows densification of this powder without grain growth. • However, the sintered magnets show an anomalous coercivity reduction phenomenon. • It is found that post-annealing completely recovers the reduced coercivity. • The anomalous coercivity reduction would be due to surface oxide of the raw powder.

Ash chemistry and sintering, verification of the mechanisms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hupa, M.; Skrifvars, B.J. [Aabo Akademi, Turku (Finland)

1996-12-01

In this project four sintering mechanisms have been studied, i.e., partial melting with a viscous liquid, partial melting with a non-viscous liquid, chemical reaction sintering and solid state sintering. The work has aimed at improving the understanding of ash sintering mechanisms and quantifying their role in combustion and gasification. The work has been oriented in particular on the understanding of biomass ash behavior. The work has not directly focused on any specific technical application. However, results can also be applied on other fuels such as brown coal, petroleum coke, black liquor and different types of wastes (PDF, RDF, MSW). In one part of study the melting behavior was calculated for ten biomass ashes and compared with lab measurements of sintering tendencies. The comparison showed that the T{sub 15} temperatures, i.e. those temperatures at which the ashes contained 15 % molten phase, correlated fairly well with the temperature at which the sintering measurements detected sintering. This suggests that partial melting can be predicted fairly accurate for some ashes already with the today existing thermodynamic calculation routines. In some cases, however the melting calculations did not correlate with the detected sintering temperatures. In a second part detailed measurements on ash behavior was conducted both in a semi full scale CFB and a lab scale FBC. Ashes and deposits were collected and analyzed in several different ways. These analyses show that the ash chemistry shifts radically when the fuel is shifted. Fuels with silicate based ashes behaved totally different than those with an oxide or salt based ash. The chemistry was also affected by fuel blending. The ultimate goal has been to be able to predict the ash thermal behavior during biomass thermal conversion, using the fuel and ash elemental analyses and a few operational key parameters as the only input data. This goal has not yet today been achieved. (author)

Laboratory sol-gel preparation of fine fraction of sintered uranium dioxide spheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Landspersky, H.; Tympl, M.

1984-01-01

The results are summed up of the laboratory investigation of preparing the fine fraction of sintered uranium dioxide particles from uranyl gel using the method of the mixed reactor and the method of the dual-liquid nozzle, processed by leaching, drying, calcination and sintering. None of the two methods provides monodispersion particles under the given conditions but better control of the throughflow of the liquid media may improve results. Leaching of the fine fraction is very quick and the leaching of most components takes no longer than 5 minutes. In view of the fact that leaching of all components does not proceed at the same rate it is recommended that leaching time be doubled, or that leaching take place in two stages. Azeotropic distillation with chlorinated hydrocarbons is a favourable procedure for obtaining quality material; it is, however, necessary to prevent dried particles from comino. into contact with the water phase condensing on the walls of the distillation vessel and running down onto the surface of the distilling mixture. Calcination at a temperature of 500 degC in a thin layer and sintering at temperatures between 1350 and 1550 degC at an adequate rate of inflow of gaseous media and adequate rate of outflow of reaction wastes results in the production of high quality material whose density exceeds 97 to 98% theoretical density. (author)

Physical Characteristics and Sintering Behavior of MgO-Doped ZrO2nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muccillo, E.N.S.; Tadokoro, S.K.; Muccillo, R.

2004-01-01

Nanosized particles of 13mol% MgO-doped ZrO 2 with a narrow distribution of pore sizes were prepared by the coprecipitation technique using optimized parameters of synthesis. Transmission electron microscopy analysis of the calcined powder reveals that the majority of the particles have grain sizes in the 10-20nm range. From nitrogen adsorption analysis an average particle size of 13nm was estimated, which is similar to the average pore size diameter (12nm). Besides the unimodal distribution of pore sizes, the linear shrinkage curve of a powder compact exhibits several inflexions indicating different rates of densification up to 1600 deg. C. After sintering at 1600 deg. C for 2h, the microstructure features of a compact are characteristics of the intermediate stage with interconnected porosity preferentially observed at grain boundaries. These results are explained as a size effect of nanoparticles of magnesia-doped zirconia during sintering

Preparation of Ti3Al intermetallic compound by spark plasma sintering

Science.gov (United States)

Ito, Tsutomu; Fukui, Takahiro

2018-04-01

Sintered compacts of single phase Ti3Al intermetallic compound, which have excellent potential as refractory materials, were prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS). A raw powder of Ti3Al intermetallic compound with an average powder diameter of 176 ± 56 μm was used in this study; this large powder diameter is disadvantageous for sintering because of the small surface area. The samples were prepared at sintering temperatures (Ts) of 1088, 1203, and 1323 K, sintering stresses (σs) of 16, 32, and 48 MPa, and a sintering time (ts) of 10 min. The calculated relative densities based on the apparent density of Ti3Al provided by the supplier were approximately 100% under all sintering conditions. From the experimental results, it was evident that SPS is an effective technique for dense sintering of Ti3Al intermetallic compounds in a short time interval. In this report, the sintering characteristics of Ti3Al intermetallic compacts are briefly discussed and compared with those of pure titanium compacts.

Real-time operation guide system for sintering process with artificial intelligence

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

FAN Xiao-hui; CHEN Xu-ling; JIANG Tao; LI Tao

2005-01-01

In order to optimize the sintering process, a real-time operation guide system with artificial intelligence was developed, mainly including the data acquisition online subsystem, the sinter chemical composition controller, the sintering process state controller, and the abnormal conditions diagnosis subsystem. Knowledge base of the sintering process controlling was constructed, and inference engine of the system was established. Sinter chemical compositions were controlled by the strategies of self-adaptive prediction, internal optimization and center on basicity. And the state of sintering was stabilized centering on permeability. In order to meet the needs of process change and make the system clear, the system has learning ability and explanation function. The software of the system was developed in Visual C++ programming language. The application of the system shows that the hitting accuracy of sinter compositions and burning through point prediction are more than 85%; the first-grade rate of sinter chemical composition, stability rate of burning through point and stability rate of sintering process are increased by 3%, 9% and 4%, respectively.

End Uses Mechanical Properties Settled By The Modified Sintering Conditions Of The Metal Injection Molding Process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marray, Tarek; Jaccquet, Philippe; Moinard-Checot, Delphine; Fabre, Agnes; Barrallier, Laurent

2011-01-01

Most common mechanical applications require parts with specific properties as hard faced features. It is well known that treating parts under suitable atmospheres may improve hardness and strength yield of steels. Heat treatment process and more particularly thermo-chemical diffusion processes (such as carburizing or its variation: carbonitriding) can be performed to reach the industrial hardness profile requirements. In this work, a low-alloyed steel feedstock based on water soluble binder system is submitted to the MIM process steps (including injection molding, debinding and sintering). As-sintered parts are then treated under a low pressure carbonitriding treatment. This contribution focuses on preliminary results such as microstructural analyses and mechanical properties which are established at each stage of the process to determine and monitor changes.

Thermally stable sintered porous metal articles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gombach, A.L.; Thellmann, E.L.

1980-01-01

A sintered porous metal article is provided which is essentially thermally stable at elevated temperatures. In addition, a method for producing such an article is also provided which method comprises preparing a blend of base metal particles and active dispersoid particles, forming the mixture into an article of the desired shape, and heating the so-formed article at sintering temperatures

Method of sintering ceramic materials

Science.gov (United States)

Holcombe, Cressie E.; Dykes, Norman L.

1992-01-01

A method for sintering ceramic materials is described. A ceramic article is coated with layers of protective coatings such as boron nitride, graphite foil, and niobium. The coated ceramic article is embedded in a container containing refractory metal oxide granules and placed within a microwave oven. The ceramic article is heated by microwave energy to a temperature sufficient to sinter the ceramic article to form a densified ceramic article having a density equal to or greater than 90% of theoretical density.

Preliminary investigation of liquid phase sintering in ferrous systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klein, J.

1975-04-01

Liquid phase sintering was utilized to achieve, by a simple compaction and sintering procedure involving short times and moderate temperatures, a virtually full dense high carbon Fe:C alloy and high boron Fe:B alloy. Parameters such as powder characteristics and mixing, compacting pressure, heating program and the liquid phase fraction were found to influence the sintered density. The response of the Fe:C alloy to a heat treatment is reported along with preliminary experiments in the iron base ternary system Fe:W:C. Residual porosities observed in microstructures of certain liquid phase sintered compacts were accounted for by a proposed capillary flow of the liquid phase and a local densification competing against an overall densification. Some general recommendations are made for liquid phase sintering of powder aggregates. 15 fig., 7 tables

Effects of pressure and temperature on sintering of Cr-doped Al2O3 by pulsed electric current sintering process

Science.gov (United States)

Dang, K. Q.; Nanko, M.

2011-03-01

The aluminium oxide crystal, Al2O3, which contains a small amount of chromium, Cr, is called ruby. Pulsed electric current sintering (PECS) was applied to sinter ruby polycrystals. Cr2O3-Al2O3 powder mixture prepared by drying an aqueous slurry containing amounts of Al2O3 and Cr(NO3)3 was consolidated by PECS process. The PECS process was performed in vacuum at sintering temperature raging from 1100 to 1300°C with heating rate of 2 K/min under applied uniaxial pressure varied from 40 to 100 MPa. This study found that highly densified and transparent Cr-doped Al2O3 can be obtained by the PECS process with the high applied pressure at sintering temperature of 1200°C.

Integrated analysis of oxide nuclear fuel sintering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baranov, V.; Kuzmin, R.; Tenishev, A.; Timoshin, I.; Khlunov, A.; Ivanov, A.; Petrov, I.

2011-01-01

Dilatometric and thermal-gravimetric investigations have been carried out for the sintering process of oxide nuclear fuel in gaseous Ar - 8% H 2 atmosphere at temperatures up to 1600 0 C. The pressed compacts were fabricated under real production conditions of the OAO MSZ with application of two different technologies, so called 'dry' and 'wet' technologies. Effects of the grain size growth after the heating to different temperatures were observed. In order to investigate the effects produced by rate of heating on properties of sintered fuel pellets, the heating rates were varied from 1 to 8 0 C per minute. Time of isothermal overexposure at maximal temperature (1600 0 C) was about 8 hours. Real production conditions were imitated. The results showed that the sintering process of the fuel pellets produced by two technologies differs. The samples sintered under different heating rates were studied with application of scanning electronic microscopy analysis for determination of mean grain size. A simulation of heating profile for industrial furnaces was performed to reduce the beam cycles and estimate the effects of variation of the isothermal overexposure temperatures. Based on this data, an optimization of the sintering conditions was performed in operations terms of OAO MSZ. (authors)

Improved critical current densities in bulk FeSe superconductor using ball milled powders and high temperature sintering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muralidhar, M.; Furutani, K.; Murakami, M. [Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Superconducting Materials Laboratory, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Tokyo (Japan); Kumar, Dinesh; Rao, M.S. Ramachandra [Department of Physics, Nano Functional Materials Technology Centre and Materials Science Research Centre, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai (India); Koblischka, M.R. [Institute of Experimental Physics, Saarland University, Saarbruecken (Germany)

2016-12-15

The present study is investigating the effect of high temperature sintering combined with ball milled powders for the preparation of FeSe material via solid state sintering technique. The commercial powders of Fe (99.9% purity) and Se (99.9% purity) were mixed in a nominal ratio Fe:Se = 1:1 and thoroughly ground and ball-milled in a glove box during 6 h. Then, the powder mixture was pressed into pellets of 5 mm in diameter and 2 mm thickness using an uniaxial pressure of 100 MPa. The samples were sealed in quartz tubes and sintered at 600 C for 24 h. Then, the pellets were again thoroughly ground and ball-milled in the glove box and pressed into pellets, and the final sintering was performed at two different temperatures, namely at 900 C for 24 h and at 950 C for 24 h. X-ray diffraction results confirmed that both samples showed mainly of the β-FeSe with tetragonal structure. The temperature dependence of magnetization (M-T) curves revealed a sharp superconducting transition T{sub c,} {sub onset} = 8.16 K for the sample sintered at 900 C. Further, scanning electron microscopy observations proved that samples sintered at 900 C show a platelike grain structure with high density. As a result, improved irreversibility fields around 5 T and the critical current density (J{sub c}) values of 6252 A cm{sup -2} at 5 K and self-field are obtained. Furthermore, the normalized volume pinning force versus the reduced field plots indicated a peak position at 0.4 for the sample sintered at 900 C. Improved flux pinning and the high J{sub c} values are attributed to the textured microstructure of the material, produced by a combination of high temperature sintering and ball milling. (copyright 2016 The Authors. Phys. Status Solidi A published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Sintering of anorthite based ceramics prepared from kaolin DD2 and calcite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zaiou, S.; Harabi, A.; Harabi, E.; Guechi, A.; Karboua, N.; Benhassine, M.-T.; Zouai, S.; Guerfa, F., E-mail: Zaiou_21@yahoo.fr, E-mail: harabi52@gmail.com, E-mail: semouni84@gmail.com, E-mail: guechia@yahoo.fr, E-mail: kanour17@yahoo.fr, E-mail: mtb25dz@gmail.com, E-mail: zouaisouheila@yahoo.fr, E-mail: guerfatiha@gmail.com [Ceramics Lab., Faculty of Exact Science, Physics Department, Mentouri University of Constantine (Algeria)

2016-10-15

In this work, the preparation of anorthite based ceramics using a modified milling system and 80 wt% kaolin (DD2 type) and 20 wt% calcium oxide extracted from CaCO{sub 3} is shown. The choice of these raw materials was dictated by their natural abundance. Previous studies have shown that a simple and vibratory multidirectional milling system using a bimodal distribution of highly resistant ceramics can be successfully used for obtaining fine powders. The prepared samples were sintered at different temperatures ranging between 800 and 1100 °C. It has been found that the relative density of samples sintered at 900 °C for 1 h with a heating rate of 5 °C/min was about 96% of the theoretical density of anorthite (2.75 g/cm{sup 3} ). Finally, the prepared samples were also characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. (author)

Sintering of anorthite based ceramics prepared from kaolin DD2 and calcite

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Zaiou

Full Text Available Abstract In this work, the preparation of anorthite based ceramics using a modified milling system and 80 wt% kaolin (DD2 type and 20 wt% calcium oxide extracted from CaCO3 is shown. The choice of these raw materials was dictated by their natural abundance. Previous studies have shown that a simple and vibratory multidirectional milling system using a bimodal distribution of highly resistant ceramics can be successfully used for obtaining fine powders. The prepared samples were sintered at different temperatures ranging between 800 and 1100 °C. It has been found that the relative density of samples sintered at 900 °C for 1 h with a heating rate of 5 °C/min was about 96% of the theoretical density of anorthite (2.75 g/cm3. Finally, the prepared samples were also characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy.

Sintering of anorthite based ceramics prepared from kaolin DD2 and calcite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaiou, S.; Harabi, A.; Harabi, E.; Guechi, A.; Karboua, N.; Benhassine, M.-T.; Zouai, S.; Guerfa, F.

2016-01-01

In this work, the preparation of anorthite based ceramics using a modified milling system and 80 wt% kaolin (DD2 type) and 20 wt% calcium oxide extracted from CaCO 3 is shown. The choice of these raw materials was dictated by their natural abundance. Previous studies have shown that a simple and vibratory multidirectional milling system using a bimodal distribution of highly resistant ceramics can be successfully used for obtaining fine powders. The prepared samples were sintered at different temperatures ranging between 800 and 1100 °C. It has been found that the relative density of samples sintered at 900 °C for 1 h with a heating rate of 5 °C/min was about 96% of the theoretical density of anorthite (2.75 g/cm 3 ). Finally, the prepared samples were also characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. (author)

Zone refining of sintered, microwave-derived YBCO superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warrier, K.G.K.; Varma, H.K.; Mani, T.V.; Damodaran, A.D.; Balachandran, U.

1993-07-01

Post-sintering treatments such as zone melting under thermal gradient has been conducted on sintered YBCO tape cast films. YBCO precursor powder was derived through decomposition of a mixture of nitrates of cations in a microwave oven for ∼4 min. The resulting powder was characterized and made into thin sheets by tape casting and then sintered at 945 C for 5 h. The sintered tapes were subjected to repeated zone refining operations at relatively high speeds of ∼30 mm/h. A microstructure having uniformly oriented grains in the a-b plane throughout the bulk of the sample was obtained by three repeated zone refining operations. Details of precursor preparation, microwave processing and its advantages, zone refining conditions, and microstructural features are presented in this paper

The behaviour of doped elements in tungsten sintering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scheiner, L.

1975-01-01

The lecture deals with the occurrence of bubbles in the sintering of doped tungsten. The doping of tungsten normally takes place by the addition of K, Al and Si compounds. A part of the doping substances disappears with sintering which can easily be proved by chemical analyses. In the process described here, the evaporation is non-destructively observed during sintering with an absorption spectrometer. Temperature, absorption slope and sintering resistance are recorded. The evaluation of the absorption curves gives a diffusion equation. The discussion of the curves resulted so far in that a doped substance compound sets free the single elements of the compound at high temperature. Aluminium and silicon diffuse out. In the case of aluminium, the activation energy can be determined. (GSC/LH) [de

Ferritic oxide dispersion strengthened alloys by spark plasma sintering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Allahar, Kerry N., E-mail: KerryAllahar@boisestate.edu [Materials and Science Engineering Department, Boise State University, 1910 University Blvd., Boise, ID 83725 (United States); Center for Advanced Energy Studies, 995 University Blvd., Idaho Falls, ID 83401 (United States); Burns, Jatuporn [Materials and Science Engineering Department, Boise State University, 1910 University Blvd., Boise, ID 83725 (United States); Center for Advanced Energy Studies, 995 University Blvd., Idaho Falls, ID 83401 (United States); Jaques, Brian [Materials and Science Engineering Department, Boise State University, 1910 University Blvd., Boise, ID 83725 (United States); Wu, Y.Q. [Materials and Science Engineering Department, Boise State University, 1910 University Blvd., Boise, ID 83725 (United States); Center for Advanced Energy Studies, 995 University Blvd., Idaho Falls, ID 83401 (United States); Charit, Indrajit [Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Idaho, McClure Hall Room 405D, Moscow, ID 83844 (United States); Cole, James [Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID 83401 (United States); Butt, Darryl P. [Materials and Science Engineering Department, Boise State University, 1910 University Blvd., Boise, ID 83725 (United States); Center for Advanced Energy Studies, 995 University Blvd., Idaho Falls, ID 83401 (United States)

2013-11-15

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) was used to consolidate a Fe–16Cr–3Al (wt.%) powder that was mechanically alloyed with Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Ti powders to produce 0.5 Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} and 0.5 Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}–1Ti powders. The effects of mechanical alloying and sintering conditions on the microstructure, relative density and hardness of the sintered oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloys are presented. Scanning electron microscopy indicated a mixed fine-grain and coarse-grain microstructure that was attributed to recrystallization and grain growth during sintering. Analysis of the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atom probe tomography (APT) data identified Y–O and Y–O–Ti nanoclusters. Elemental ratios of these nanoclusters were consistent with that observed in hot-extruded ODS alloys. The influence of Ti was to refine the grains as well as the nanoclusters with there being greater number density and smaller sizes of the Y–O–Ti nanoclusters as compared to the Y–O nanoclusters. This resulted in the Ti-containing samples being harder than the Ti-free alloys. The hardness of the alloys with the Y–O–Ti nanoclusters was insensitive to sintering time while smaller hardness values were associated with longer sintering times for the alloys with the Y–O nanoclusters. Pressures greater than 80 MPa are recommended for improved densification as higher sintering temperatures and longer sintering times at 80 MPa did not improve the relative density beyond 97.5%.

Sintering of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is a high performance polymer having low coefficient of friction, good abrasion resistance, good chemical ... In this study, we report our results on compaction and sintering behaviour of two grades of UHMWPE with reference to the powder morphology, sintering ...

Two-step sintering of ultrafine-grained barium cerate proton conducting ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Siwei; Zhang, Lei; Zhang, Lingling; Brinkman, Kyle; Chen, Fanglin

2013-01-01

Ultra-fine grained dense BaZr 0.1 Ce 0.7 Y 0.1 Yb 0.1 O 3−δ (BZCYYb) ceramics have been successfully prepared via a two-step sintering method. Co-precipitation method has been adopted to prepare nano-sized BZCYYb precursors with an average particle size of 30 nm. By controlling the sintering profile, an average grain size of 184 nm was obtained for dense BZCYYb ceramics via the two-step sintering method, compared to 445 nm for the conventional sintered samples. The two-step sintered BZCYYb samples showed less impurity and an enhanced electrical conductivity compared with the conventional sintered ones. Further, the two-step sintering method was applied to fabricate anode supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) using BZCYYb as the electrolyte, resulting in dense ultrafine-grained electrolyte membranes and porous anode substrates with fine particles. Due to the reduced ohmic as well as polarization resistances, the maximum power output of the cells fabricated from the two-step sintering method reached 349 mW m −2 at 700 °C, significantly improved from 172 mW cm −2 for the conventional sintered cells, suggesting that two-step sintering method is very promising for optimizing the microstructure and thus enhancing the electrochemical performances for barium cerate based proton-conducting SOFCs.

Foam glass obtained through high-pressure sintering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Østergaard, Martin Bonderup; Petersen, Rasmus Rosenlund; König, Jakob

2018-01-01

Foam glasses are usually prepared through a chemical approach, that is, by mixing glass powder with foaming agents, and heating the mixture to a temperature above the softening point (106.6 Pa s) of the glass. The foaming agents release gas, enabling expansion of the sintered glass. Here, we use...... a physical foaming approach to prepare foam glass. First, closed pores filled with inert gases (He, Ar, or N2) are physically introduced into a glass body by sintering cathode ray tube (CRT) panel glass powder at high gas pressure (5‐25 MPa) at 640°C and, then cooled to room temperature. The sintered bodies...... are subjected to a second heat treatment above the glass transition temperature at atmospheric pressure. This heat treatment causes expansion of the pores due to high internal gas pressure. We found that the foaming ability strongly depends on the gas pressure applied during sintering, and on the kinetic...

Effects of sintering time and temperature to the characteristics of FeCrAl powder compacts formed at elevated temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, M. M.; Rahman, H. Y.; Awang, M. A. A.; Sopyan, I.

2018-01-01

This paper presents the outcomes of an experimental investigation on the effect of sintering schedule, i.e., holding time and temperature to the final properties of FeCrAl powder compacts prepared through uniaxial die compaction process at above room temperature. The feedstock was prepared by mechanically mixing iron powder ASC 100.29 with chromium (22 wt%) and aluminium (11 wt%) for 30 min at room temperature. A cylindrical shape die was filled with the powder mass and heated for one hour for uniform heating of the die assembly together with the powder mass. Once the temperature reached to the setup temperature, i.e., 150°C, the powder mass was formed by applying an axial pressure of 425 MPa simultaneously from upward and downward directions. The as-pressed green compacts were then cooled to room temperature and subsequently sintered in argon gas fired furnace at a rate of 5°C/min for three different holding times, i.e., 30, 60, and 90 min at three different sintering temperatures, i.e., 800, 900, and 1000°C. The sintered samples were characterized for their density, electrical resistivity, bending strength, and microstructure. The results revealed that the sample sintered at 1000°C for 90 min achieved the better characteristics.

Phosphorus containing sintered alloys (review)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muchnik, S.V.

1984-01-01

Phosphorus additives are considered for their effect on the properties of sintered alloys of different applications: structural, antifriction, friction, magnetic, hard, superhard, heavy etc. Data are presented on compositions and properties of phosphorus-containing materials produced by the powder metallurgy method. Phosphorus is shown to be an effective activator of sintering in some cases. When its concentration in the material is optimal it imparts the material such properties as strength, viscosity, hardness, wear resistance. Problems concerning powder metallurgy of amorphous phosphorus-containing alloys are reported

Microwave sintering of zirconia toughened alumina at 28GHz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samandi, M.; Ji, H.; Miyake, S.

1998-01-01

Microwave radiation from a 10 kW, CW gyrotron operating at 28 GHz was employed to sinter 10% zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) ceramic samples. It has been established that the use of millimetre wave radiation circumvents the difficulties encountered during the sintering of ceramics, i e. formation of hot spot, by radiation at industrially permissible frequency of 2.45GHz. Further, careful density measurement and microstructural characterisation of mm- wave and conventionally sintered samples by XRD, SEM and TEM has unequivocally demonstrated the effectiveness of mm-wave radiation for obtaining high density ceramics at lower sintering temperatures. Copyright (1998) Australasian Ceramic Society

Kinetics of UO{sub 2} sintering; Kinetika sinterovanja UO{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ristic, M M [Institute of Nuclear Sciences Vinca, Laboratorija za reaktorske materijale, Beograd (Serbia and Montenegro)

1962-10-15

Detailed conclusions related to the UO{sub 2} sintering can be drawn from investigating the kinetics of the sintering process. This report gives an thorough analysis of the the data concerned with sintering available in the literature taking into account the Jander and Arrhenius laws. This analysis completes the study of influence of the O/U ratio and the atmosphere on the sintering. Results presented are fundamentals of future theoretical and experimental work related to characterisation of the UO{sub 2} sintering process.

Microstructure evolution during pressureless sintering of bulk oxide ceramics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karel Maca

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The author’s experience concerning the infl uence of the choice of different pressureless heating schedules on the fi nal microstructure of oxide ceramic materials is summarized in the paper. Alumina, ceria, strontium titanate, as well as tetragonal (3 mol% Y2O3 and cubic (8 mol% Y2O3 zirconia were cold isostatically pressed or injection moulded and pressureless sintered with different heating schedules – namely with Constant-Rate of Heating with different dwell temperatures (CRH, with Rate-Controlled Sintering (RCS and with Two-Step Sintering (TSS. It was examined whether some of these three sintering schedules, with the same fi nal density achieved, can lead to a decrease of the grain size of sintered ceramics. The results showed that only TSS (and only for selected materials brought significant decrease of the grain size.

Sintering and microstructure evolution in columnar thermal barrier coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krishnamurthy, Ramanathan; Srolovitz, David J.

2009-01-01

Sintering of thermal barrier coatings changes their key properties, such as thermal conductivity and thermal shock resistance, thus adversely impacting their reliability. We present a novel modeling approach to study the evolution of coating structure during sintering. We model the sintering of individual columns using a thermodynamic principle, and incorporate the center-to-center approach rates for the columns calculated using this principle in a larger scale discrete dynamics model for the evolution of a large number of columns. Surface energies, grain boundary energies and strain energies associated with the deformation of the columns are all included in this framework, while sintering is assumed to occur by the concerted action of surface and grain boundary diffusion. Two sets of initial conditions corresponding to different extents of pre-sintering among neighboring columns are considered. When the extent of pre-sintering is small, we observe that small clusters containing 5-20 columns are formed. In contrast, where a larger amount of pre-sintering exists, we observe, especially at large column densities, that clusters containing 50-100 columns separated by large inter-cluster pores/channels that appear to organize themselves into a network are formed. These observations are in good agreement with recently published experimental observations. We also explain how these results can explain the development of a 'mud-crack'-like pattern

Fractographical characterization of hot pressed and pressureless sintered AlN-doped ZrB{sub 2}–SiC composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahmadi, Zohre [Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tabriz, Tabriz (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Nayebi, Behzad [School of Materials and Metallurgy Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Young Researchers and Elite Club, Khorramabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Khorramabad (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Shahedi Asl, Mehdi [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Ghassemi Kakroudi, Mahdi, E-mail: mg_kakroudi@tabrizu.ac.ir [Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tabriz, Tabriz (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2015-12-15

In this paper, ZrB{sub 2}–SiC composites doped with 0–5 wt.% AlN were prepared by a low pressure hot pressing as well as a pressureless sintering methods at 1900 °C for 2 h. The influence of aluminum nitride addition on the sinterability and microstructure development of such ceramic composites was studied by a fractographical approach. The results revealed that only 1 wt.% AlN can aid the densification process of the hot pressed ceramic composite via the liquid phase sintering mechanism due to the formation of nano-scale metakaolinite spinel layers. In the pressureless sintering method, adding more AlN can increase the formation of gaseous products which raised the amount of porosities in the final microstructure. The formation of nano-graphite phase in the hot pressing process, the formation of Al{sub 2}OC in the pressureless sintering process, and the formation of BN in the both processes were disclosed by X-ray diffraction, SEM and TEM analyses. - Highlights: • The effect of AlN addition on densification of ZrB{sub 2}–SiC composites was studied. • AlN promotes the densification in hot pressed samples by liquid phase formation. • A fully dense composite was obtained by adding 1 wt.% AlN in hot pressing process. • In pressureless sintering, more AlN content intensifies the formation of porosities.

[Study on preparation and physicochemical properties of surface modified sintered bone].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jingfeng; Zheng, Qixin; Guo, Xiaodong

2012-06-01

The aim of this study is to investigate a new method for preparing a biomimetic bone material-surface modified sintered bovine cancellous bone, and to improve its bioactivity as a tissue engineering bone. The prepared sintered bovine cancellous bones with the same size were randomly divided into two groups, immersing in 1 and 1. 5 times simulated body fluid (SBF), respectively. The three time periods of soak time were 7, 14, and 21 days. After sintered bone was dried, the surface morphology of sintered bone and surface mineralization composition were observed under scanning electron microscopy (SEM). By comparing the effect of surface modification of sintered bone materials, we chose the most ideal material and studied its pore size, the rate of the porosity, the compress and bend intensity. And then the material and the sintered bone material without surface modification were compared. The study indicated that sintered bone material immersed in SBF (1.5 times) for 14 days showed the best effect of surface modification, retaining the original physico-chemical properties of sintered bone.

Influence of sintering temperature on microstructures and energy-storage properties of barium strontium titanate glass-ceramics prepared by sol-gel process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, Jia; Zhang, Yong; Song, Xiaozhen; Zhang, Qian; Yang, Dongliang; Chen, Yongzhou [Beijing Key Laboratory of Fine Ceramics, State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 (China)

2015-12-15

The sol-gel processing, microstructures, dielectric properties and energy-storage properties of barium strontium titanate glass-ceramics over the sintering temperature range of 1000-1150 C were studied. Through the X-ray diffraction result, it is revealed that the crystallinity increases as the sintering temperature increased from 1000 to 1080 C and has reached a steady-state regime above 1100 C. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that with the increase of sintering temperature, the crystal size increased. Dielectric measurements revealed that the increase in the sintering temperature resulted in a significant increase in the dielectric constant, a strong sharpness of the temperature-dependent dielectric response and a pronounced decrease of the temperature of the dielectric maximum. The correlation between charge spreading behavior and activation energies of crystal and glass was discussed by the employment of the impedance spectroscopy studies. As a result of polarization-electric field hysteresis loops, both the charged and discharged densities increased with increasing sintering temperature. And the maximum value of energy storage efficiency was found to occur at 1130 C. Finally, the dependence of released energy and power densities calculated from the discharged current-time (I-t) curves on the sintering temperature was studied. The relationship between the energy storage properties and microstructure was correlated. Polarization-electric field hysteresis loops for the BST glass-ceramics sintered at different temperatures. (copyright 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

A primary study into graphene/polyether ether ketone (PEEK) nanocomposite for laser sintering

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Binling; Berretta, Silvia; Evans, Ken; Smith, Kaylie; Ghita, Oana

2018-01-01

This paper proposes two methods of preparation of graphene/PEEK powders for Laser Sintering (LS) and investigates their behaviour in relation to their microstructure and their properties. Thin composite films were fabricated in an attempt to replicate the thin layer formation of the powder bed process. Both methods of composite powder preparation (wet and dry) led to enhanced mechanical performance of the composite films at 0.1 and 0.5 wt% graphene nano-platelets (GNP) concentrations. The TEM images show that the GNP act as a nucleation point in crystallisation of PEEK, being at the centre of the spherulites. The hot stage microscopy reveals a 20 s delay in the onset of GNP/PEEK nanocomposite coalescence in comparison with plain PEEK. This is a very important observation for laser sintering, as it will influence the build strategy and specific parameters (e.g. time between layers deposition, multiple exposures). The excellent electrical conductivity properties of graphene were noticeable in the nanocomposite films at concentrations above 1 wt% GNP.

Characterization of the porous structures of the green body and sintered biomedical titanium scaffolds with micro-computed tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arifvianto, B., E-mail: b.arifvianto@tudelft.nl; Leeflang, M.A.; Zhou, J.

2016-11-15

The present research was aimed at gaining an understanding of the porous structure changes from the green body through water leaching and sintering to titanium scaffolds. Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) was performed to generate 3D models of titanium scaffold preforms containing carbamide space-holding particles and sintered scaffolds containing macro- and micro-pores. The porosity values and structural parameters were determined by means of image analysis. The result showed that the porosity values, macro-pore sizes, connectivity densities and specific surface areas of the titanium scaffolds sintered at 1200 °C for 3 h did not significantly deviate from those of the green structures with various volume fractions of the space holder. Titanium scaffolds with a maximum specific surface area could be produced with an addition of 60–65 vol% carbamide particles to the matrix powder. The connectivity of pores inside the scaffold increased with rising volume fraction of the space holder. The shrinkage of the scaffolds prepared with > 50 vol% carbamide space holder, occurring during sintering, was caused by the reductions of macro-pore sizes and micro-pore sizes as well as the thickness of struts. In conclusion, the final porous structural characteristics of titanium scaffolds could be estimated from those of the green body. - Highlights: •Porous structures of green body and sintered titanium scaffolds was studied. •Porous structures of both samples were quantitatively characterized with micro-CT. •Porous structures of scaffolds could be controlled from the green body. •Shrinkage mechanisms of titanium scaffolds during sintering was established.

Final/Progress Report for Instrumentation Grant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

None

1997-01-01

The major piece of equipment was a Furnace Model 1000 used during the Nitrate to Ammonia and Ceramic (NAC) process to sinter the ceramic final product. NAC is a new technology to immobilize liquid radioactive waste simulants. The grant also funded related control and measuring equipment

Disruption of an Alumina Layer During Sintering of Aluminium in Nitrogen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pieczonka T.

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Aluminium oxide layer on aluminium particles cannot be avoided. However, to make the metal-metal contacts possible, this sintering barrier has to be overcome in some way, necessarily to form sintering necks and their development. It is postulated that the disruption of alumina layer under sintering conditions may originate physically and chemically. Additionally, to sinter successfully non alloyed aluminium powder in nitrogen, the operation of both types mechanism is required. It is to be noted that metallic aluminium surface has to be available to initiate reactions between aluminium and the sintering atmosphere, i.e. mechanical disruption of alumina film precedes the chemical reactions, and only then chemically induced mechanisms may develop. Dilatometry, gravimetric and differential thermal analyses, and microstructure investigations were used to study the sintering response of aluminium at 620°C in nitrogen, which is the only sintering atmosphere producing shrinkage.

Peculiarities of formation and sintering of fine dispersed molybdenum powders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalamazov, R.U.; Pak, V.I.; Tsvetkov, Yu.V.; Lem, I.N.

1989-01-01

Pressing of fine dispersed Mo powders sintering of compacts in H 2 and vacuum is studied. It is shown that powder preannealing at 600 deg C in H 2 for 2 hours is necessary for formation of dense sintered compacts. Qualitatively choice of pressing conditions is possible when using electron-positron annihilation method. Peculiarities of compacting and sintering of fine- and coarse-dispersed powder mixtures are considered. The obtained results are discussed from the view point of sintering recrystallization mechanism

Non-pressurized sintered silicon carbide with titanium carbide reinforcement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adler, J.

1992-01-01

A non-pressurized compression of SiC-TiC composite materials can be achieved via liquid phase sintering by the application of oxidic additives. Materials with TiC proportions up to 40% by volume of TiC and densities of 97 to 98% TD were produced at sintering temperatures around 1875 C. With SiC sintered in the liquid phase an increase of toughness at fracture of 80% compared with conventionally non-pressurized sintered SiC was achieved with B/C additive. No further increase could be achieved by the addition of TiC particles. However, the oxidation resistance at 1200 C was worsened. (orig.) [de

Modeling sintering of multilayers under influence of gravity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frandsen, Henrik Lund; Olevsky, Eugene; Tadesse Molla, Tesfaye

2013-01-01

, which describes the combined effect of sintering and gravity of thin multilayers, is derived and later compared with experimental results. It allows for consideration of both uniaxial and biaxial stress states. The model is based on the Skorohod-Olevsky viscous sintering framework, the classical...... laminate theory and the elastic-viscoelastic correspondence principle. The modeling approach is then applied to illustrate the effect of gravity during sintering of thin layers of cerium gadolinium oxide (CGO), and it is found to be significant. © 2012 The American Ceramic Society....

Mechanical characteristics of microwave sintered silicon carbide

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

In firing of products by conventionally sintered process, SiC grain gets oxidized producing SiO2 (∼ 32 wt%) and deteriorates the quality of the product substantially. Partially sintered silicon carbide by such a method is a useful material for a varieties of applications ranging from kiln furniture to membrane material.

One step sintering of homogenized bauxite raw material and kinetic study

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Chang-he; Jiang, Peng; Li, Yong; Sun, Jia-lin; Zhang, Jun-jie; Yang, Huan-ying

2016-10-01

A one-step sintering process of bauxite raw material from direct mining was completed, and the kinetics of this process was analyzed thoroughly. The results show that the sintering kinetics of bauxite raw material exhibits the liquid-phase sintering behavior. A small portion of impurities existed in the raw material act as a liquid phase. After X-ray diffraction analyses, scanning electron microscopy observations, and kinetics calculations, sintering temperature and heating duration were determined as the two major factors contributing to the sintering process and densification of bauxite ore. An elevated heating temperature and longer duration favor the densification process. The major obstacle for the densification of bauxite material is attributed to the formation of the enclosed blowhole during liquid-phase sintering.

Sintering behavior of LZSA glass-ceramics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oscar Rubem Klegues Montedo

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The LZSA glass-ceramic system (Li2O-ZrO2-SiO2-Al2O 3 shows interesting properties, such as good chemical resistance, low thermal expansion, high abrasion resistance, and a low dielectric constant. However, in order to obtain a high performance material for specific applications, the sintering behavior must be better understood so that the porosity may be reduced and other properties improved. In this context, a sintering investigation for a specific LZSA glass-ceramic system composition was carried out. A 18.8Li2O-8.3ZrO2-64.2SiO2-8.7Al 2O3 glass was prepared by melting the solids, quenching the melt in water, and grinding the resulting solid in order to obtain a powder (3.68 μm average particle diameter. Subsequently, the glass powder was characterized (chemical analysis and determination of thermal properties and the sintering behavior was investigated using optical non-contact dilatometry measurements. The results showed that the crystallization process strongly reduced the sintering in the temperature interval from 785 to 940 °C, and a maximum thermal shrinkage of 15.4% was obtained with operating conditions of 1020 °C and 180 minutes.

Sintered glass ceramic composites from vitrified municipal solid waste bottom ashes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aloisi, Mirko; Karamanov, Alexander; Taglieri, Giuliana; Ferrante, Fabiola; Pelino, Mario

2006-01-01

A glass ceramic composite was obtained by sinter-crystallisation of vitrified municipal solid waste bottom ashes with the addition of various percentages of alumina waste. The sintering was investigated by differential dilatometry and the crystallisation of the glass particles by differential thermal analysis. The crystalline phases produced by the thermal treatment were identified by X-ray diffraction analysis. The sintering process was found to be affected by the alumina addition and inhibited by the beginning of the crystal-phase precipitation. Scanning electron microscopy was performed on the fractured sintered samples to observe the effect of the sintering. Young's modulus and the mechanical strength of the sintered glass ceramic and composites were determined at different heating rates. The application of high heating rate and the addition of alumina powder improved the mechanical properties. Compared to the sintered glass ceramic without additives, the bending strength and the Young's modulus obtained at 20 deg. C/min, increased by about 20% and 30%, respectively

Sintered bentonite ceramics for the immobilization of cesium- and strontium-bearing radioactive waste

Science.gov (United States)

Ortega, Luis Humberto

were also tested. The final solid product was a hard dense ceramic with a density that varied from 2.12 g/cm3 for a 19% waste loading with a 1200°C sintering temperature to 3.03 g/cm 3 with a 29% waste loading and sintered at 1100°C. Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (DSC-TGA) of the loaded bentonite displayed mass loss steps which were consistent with water losses in pure bentonite. Water losses were complete after dehydroxylation at ˜650°C. No mass losses were evident beyond the dehydroxylation. The ceramic melts at temperatures greater than 1300°C. Light flash analysis found heat capacities of the ceramic to be comparable to those of strontium and barium feldspars as well as pollucite. Thermal conductivity improved with higher sintering temperatures, attributed to lower porosity. Porosity was minimized in 1200°C sinterings. Ceramics with waste loadings less than 25 wt% displayed slump, the lowest waste loading, 15 wt% bloated at a 1200°C sintering. Waste loading above 25 wt% produced smooth uniform ceramics when sintered >1100°C. Sintered bentonite may provide a simple alternative to vitrification and other engineered radioactive waste-forms.

Phase and microstructural characterization of Mo–Si–B multiphase intermetallic alloys produced by pressureless sintering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taleghani, P.R.; Bakhshi, S.R.; Borhani, G.H.; Erfanmanesh, M.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Active and ultra-fine Mo–Si–B powders were produced by mechanical alloying. • The phases of MoSi 2 and MoB were obtained by sintering Mo–57Si–10B at 1400 °C for 2 h. • Composite based on MoB/MoSi 2 was obtained by sintering Mo–47Si–23B at 1300 °C for 3 h. • High content of MoB in the composite based on MoB/MoSi 2 increased density. • High hardness of the composite based on MoB/MoSi 2 is related to MoB matrix. -- Abstract: In this study Mo–47Si–23B and Mo–57Si–10B powders (at.%) was milled for 20 h in attritor ball mill with a rotational speed of 365 rpm and the ball/powder mass ratio 20/1. After degassing of As-mechanically alloyed powders at 450 °C, the powders were pressed into cylindrical samples with 25 mm diameter under 600 MPa pressure. The samples were sintered by using of a tube resistance furnace under Ar atmosphere. Phase and microstructure characteristic of mechanically alloyed powders and sintered samples, were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive spectroscopy. Also hardness test was performed. Homogeneous distribution of active and ultra-fine powders were obtained after milling for 20 h. Mo–57Si–10B alloy with MoB and MoSi 2 dominant phases was produced by sintering at 1400 °C for 2 h. Dominant phases similar to Mo–57Si–10B alloy sintered at 1400 °C for 2 h could be synthesized in Mo–47Si–23B alloy after sintering at 1300 °C for 3 h, but volume fraction of MoB phase was different. The Mo–47Si–23B alloy contained a higher phase fraction of MoB compound as compared to Mo–57Si–10B alloy. Very high density in Mo–47Si–23B alloys was obtained, due to the presence of high volume fraction of MoB phase. Formation heat of MoB acted as a positive potential to increase driving force of sintering and consequently bulk density. Finally, a uniform and fine distribution of MoSi 2 particles in MoB continuous matrix in the microstructure of Mo-47Si

Liquid Phase Sintering of Highly Alloyed Stainless Steel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mathiesen, Troels

1996-01-01

Liquid phase sintering of stainless steel is usually applied to improve corrosion resistance by obtaining a material without an open pore system. The dense structure normally also give a higher strength when compared to conventional sintered steel. Liquid phase sintrering based on addition...... of boride to AISI 316L type steels have previously been studied, but were found to be sensitive to intergranular corrosion due to formation of intermetallic phases rich in chromium and molybdenum. In order to improve this system further, new investigations have focused on the use of higher alloyed stainless...... steel as base material. The stainless base powders were added different amounts and types of boride and sintered in hydrogen at different temperatures and times in a laboratory furnace. During sintering the outlet gas was analyzed and subsequently related to the obtained microstructure. Thermodynamic...

Pressureless sintering behavior of injection molded alumina ceramics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liu W.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The pressureless sintering behaviors of two widely used submicron alumina (MgOdoped and undoped with different solid loadings produced by injection molding have been studied systematically. Regardless of the sinterability of different powders depending on their inherent properties, solid loading plays a critical role on the sintering behavior of injection molded alumina, which greatly determines the densification and grain size, and leads to its full densification at low temperatures. As compared to the MgO-doped alumina powder, the undoped specimens exhibit a higher sinterability for its smaller particle size and larger surface area. While full densification could be achieved for MgO-doped powders with only a lower solid loading, due to the fact that MgO addition can reduce the detrimental effect of the large pore space on the pore-boundary separation.

Sintering unalloyed titanium in DC electrical abnormal glow discharge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Allan Seeber

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Powder metallurgy is widely used in the manufacture of components that have complex geometry. The good dimensional control, reduction in manufacturing steps and operating costs which has favored the use of this technique for manufacturing of titanium alloys components. However, the high affinity of this material with oxygen hinders strongly the sintering process. For this, the sintering associated with plasma technology can be considered an alternative technique for the processing of this material. The strict control of sintering atmosphere performed at low pressures and the reactive species present in the plasma environment can help to improve the sintering of this material. The results presented in this paper show a good correlation between the parameters used for the compaction of the samples and the microstructure develop during the plasma sintering of samples. The microstructure of the plasma assisted samples is also affected by the particular configuration used in the plasma reactor.

Sintered nuclear fuel compact and method for its production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peehs, M.; Dorr, W.

1988-01-01

This patent describes a method of producing a sintered nuclear fuel compact with which reactivity losses in a nuclear reactor having long fuel element cycles are avoided, which comprises, forming a compact of a mixture of powders containing at least one nuclear fuel oxide selected from the group consisting of UO/sub 2/, PuO/sub 2/, ThO/sub 2/, mixed oxide (U, Pu)O/sub 2/ and mixed oxide (U, Th)O/sub 2/, at least one neutron poison selected from the group consisting of UB/sub x/, where x=2; 4 and/or 12 and B/sub 4/C, and sintering the compact of the mixture of powders so that the neutron piston is embedded in a sintered matrix of the nuclear fuel oxide at a treatment temperature in a range from 1000 0 C to 1400 0 C in an oxidizing sintering atmosphere, and then heat treating the sintered compact in a reducing gas atmosphere

Effect of particle size distribution on sintering of tungsten

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patterson, B.R.; Griffin, J.A.

1984-01-01

To date, very little is known about the effect of the nature of the particle size distribution on sintering. It is reasonable that there should be an effect of size distribution, and theory and prior experimental work examining the effects of variations in bimodal and continuous distributions have shown marked effects on sintering. Most importantly, even with constant mean particle size, variations in distribution width, or standard deviation, have been shown to produce marked variations in microstructure and sintering rate. In the latter work, in which spherical copper powders were blended to produce lognormal distributions of constant geometric mean particle size by weight frequency, blends with larger values of geometric standard deviation, 1nσ, sintered more rapidly. The goals of the present study were to examine in more detail the effects of variations in the width of lognormal particle size distributions of tungsten powder and determine the effects of 1nσ on the microstructural evolution during sintering

Plutonium Immobilization Project Binder Burnout and Sintering Studies (Milestone 6.6a)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chandler, G.

1999-01-01

The Plutonium Immobilization Team has developed an integrated test program to understand and optimize the controlling variables for the sintering step of the plutonium immobilization process. Sintering is the key process step that controls the product mineralogy. It is expected that the sintering will be the limiting process step that controls the throughput of the production line. The goal of the current sintering test program is to better understand factors that affect the sintering process

Plutonium Immobilization Project Binder Burnout and Sintering Studies (Milestone 6.6a)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chandler, G.

1999-10-28

The Plutonium Immobilization Team has developed an integrated test program to understand and optimize the controlling variables for the sintering step of the plutonium immobilization process. Sintering is the key process step that controls the product minerology. It is expected that the sintering will be the limiting process step that controls the throughput of the production line. The goal of the current sintering test program is to better understand factors that affect the sintering process.

Microwave sintering of ZnO nanopowders and characterization for gas sensing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bai Zikui; Xie Changsheng; Zhang Shunping; Xu Weilin; Xu Jie

2011-01-01

Thick film gas sensors based on ZnO nanopowders were fabricated by using microwave sintering. The surface and cross section morphologies were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The stability of the microstructure was studied by impedance spectroscopy. The results showed that the shape of the nanoparticles was not changed through microwave sintering, and the thick films had the more dense microstructures than that by muffle oven sintering. The resistance-temperature characteristic and the responses to toluene, methanol and formaldehyde revealed that the microwave sintering technique could effectively control the growth of ZnO nanoparticles, realize the uniform sintering of thick film, gain the stable microstructure and improve the response of sensor. In addition, the formative mechanism of the thick film microstructure was proposed according to microwave sintering mechanism.

Fabrication and microstructure of CNTs activated sintered W–Nb alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sha, J.J.; Hao, X.N.; Li, J.; Wang, Z.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Fabrication and microstructure of CNTs activated sintered W-Nb alloys were investigated. • CNTs could significantly enhance the sintering ability of W-Nb alloys at a low temperature. • The improved sintering was due to the enhanced diffusion of W atoms along the GBs induced by CNTs. • The grain size in CNTs activated sintered W-Nb alloys decreased with increasing the Nb content. -- Abstract: In order to fabricate highly dense W-based alloys at low temperature, in the present work, high-energy ball milling and hot pressing were applied to fabricate W–Nb alloys (mass fraction of Nb varied from 0.5% to 5%), where CNTs were used as the activated sintering additives. The phase composition and microstructure were characterized by XRD and SEM equipped with EDS, respectively. The study found coupled effects of CNTs activated sintering and Nb addition on the enhanced sintering ability and refined microstructure of W at 1500 °C. The main results are: (i) XRD characterization revealed that the high-energy ball milling could significantly reduce the crystallite size of W particles and increase lattice distortion, which would enhance the sintering behavior of W alloys. (ii) The addition of CNTs to W (W–0.1CNTs) led to the formation of nanoscale interfacial layer between W grains during hot pressing, resulting in considerable densification and grain growth. Based on this result, it suggested that the activated sintering of W in the present work is due to an enhanced diffusion of W atoms along the GBs induced by CNTs. (iii) With the addition of CNTs to W–Nb alloys, the densification was improved again, but was not so obvious. The optimal densification was obtained for the W–0.1CNTs–1Nb specimen. Moreover, the microstructure characterization in CNTs activated sintered W–Nb alloys indicated that the distribution of sphere-like W(Nb) solid solution particles and decreased W grain sizes with increasing Nb content are the main microstructure features

The electric conductivity of some forms of sintered synthetic zeolites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Susic, M.; Petrovic, V.; Ristic, M.; Petranovic, N.

1978-01-01

Some forms of synthetic zeolites were sintered and their electric conductivity was measured. The conductivity was observed in correlation with the conductivity of non-sintered pressed samples. Also the change in microstructural constituents in the course of the process of sintering was observed with an optical microscope. It has been found that there is a considerable change in conductivity due to sintering as well as a change in the activation energy for conduction. Also the porosity is noticeably changed. A marked affect of the nature of counter ions on the electric conductivity is shown

A practical approach for the calculation of the activation energy of the sintering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pouchly Vaclav

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Newly developed software for calculation of activation energy (Qs in the following of sintering using the Wang and Raj model is presented. To demonstrate the practical potential of the software and to evaluate the behaviour of the Qs during the sintering process, alumina and cubic zirconia ceramic compacts were prepared from nanometric powders. The results obtained with both materials are in agreement with previously published data calculated by different approaches. In the interval of interest (relative densities from 60 % to almost 100 % of theoretical density, both materials show similar behaviour. Three distinct regions can be seen: the initial constant values of Qs 868 kJ/mol and 762 kJ/mol for alumina and cubic zirconia, respectively; a region containing linear drop of Qs and the final region of constant Qs values 625 kJ/mol and 645 kJ/mol for alumina and cubic zirconia, respectively.

Quality prediction modeling for sintered ores based on mechanism models of sintering and extreme learning machine based error compensation

Science.gov (United States)

Tiebin, Wu; Yunlian, Liu; Xinjun, Li; Yi, Yu; Bin, Zhang

2018-06-01

Aiming at the difficulty in quality prediction of sintered ores, a hybrid prediction model is established based on mechanism models of sintering and time-weighted error compensation on the basis of the extreme learning machine (ELM). At first, mechanism models of drum index, total iron, and alkalinity are constructed according to the chemical reaction mechanism and conservation of matter in the sintering process. As the process is simplified in the mechanism models, these models are not able to describe high nonlinearity. Therefore, errors are inevitable. For this reason, the time-weighted ELM based error compensation model is established. Simulation results verify that the hybrid model has a high accuracy and can meet the requirement for industrial applications.

The Effects of Solid Phase Additives on Sintering Properties of Alumina Bioceramic

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

WANG Xin-yu; LI Shi-pu; HE Jian-hua; JIANG Xin; LI Jian-hua

2003-01-01

In order to reduce the sintering temperature and improve the preparing conditions of alumina bioceramics,the Mg-Zr-Y composite solid phase additives were added into high purity Al2O3 micro-powder by chemical coprecipitation method.The powder was shaped under 200MPa cold isostatic pressure,and then the biscuits were sintered at 1600℃ under normal pressure.The sintered alumina materials were tested and the sintering mechanism was discussed.The results show that physical properties of the material were improved comparatively.The Mg-Zr-Y composite solid additives could promote the sintering of alumina bioceramics and the mechanism is solid phase sintering.

Influence of spark plasma sintering conditions on the sintering and functional properties of an ultra-fine grained 316L stainless steel obtained from ball-milled powder

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keller, C., E-mail: clement.keller@insa-rouen.fr [Groupe de Physique des Matériaux, CNRS-UMR 6634, Université de Rouen, INSA de Rouen, Avenue de l' Université, 76800 Saint-Etienne du Rouvray (France); Tabalaiev, K.; Marnier, G. [Groupe de Physique des Matériaux, CNRS-UMR 6634, Université de Rouen, INSA de Rouen, Avenue de l' Université, 76800 Saint-Etienne du Rouvray (France); Noudem, J. [Laboratoire de Cristallographie des Matériaux, CNRS-UMR 6508, Université de Caen, ENSICAEN, 7 bd du Maréchal Juin, 14050 Caen (France); Sauvage, X. [Groupe de Physique des Matériaux, CNRS-UMR 6634, Université de Rouen, INSA de Rouen, Avenue de l' Université, 76800 Saint-Etienne du Rouvray (France); Hug, E. [Laboratoire de Cristallographie des Matériaux, CNRS-UMR 6508, Université de Caen, ENSICAEN, 7 bd du Maréchal Juin, 14050 Caen (France)

2016-05-17

In this work, 316L samples with submicrometric grain size were sintered by spark plasma sintering. To this aim, 316L powder was first ball-milled with different conditions to obtain nanostructured powder. The process control agent quantity and milling time were varied to check their influence on the crystallite size of milled powder. Samples were then sintered by spark plasma sintering using different sets of sintering parameters (temperature, dwell time and pressure). For each sample, grain size and density were systematically measured in order to investigate the influence of the sintering process on these two key microstructure parameters. Results show that suitable ball-milling and subsequent sintering can be employed to obtain austenitic stainless steel samples with grain sizes in the nanometer range with porosity lower than 3%. However, ball-milling and subsequent sintering enhance chromium carbides formation at the sample surface in addition to intragranular and intergranular oxides in the sample as revealed by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. It has been shown that using Boron nitride together with graphite foils to protect the mold from powder welding prevent such carbide formation. For mechanical properties, results show that the grain size refinement strongly increases the hardness of the samples without deviation from Hall-Petch relationship despite the oxides formation. For corrosion resistance, grain sizes lower than a few micrometers involve a strong decrease in the pitting potential and a strong increase in passivation current. As a consequence, spark plasma sintering can be considered as a promising tool for ultra-fine grained austenitic stainless steel.

Electro sinter forging of titanium disks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cannella, Emanuele; Nielsen, Chris Valentin; Bay, Niels Oluf

by measuring the electrical resistance during the sintering process [5], since low electrical resistance corresponds to high density. It is, however, necessary to be aware that increased temperature, on the other hand, increases the resistance. SEM micrographs and Computed Tomography (CT) are carried out......Electro sinter forging (ESF) is a new sintering process based on the principle of electrical Joule heating. In the present work, middle frequency direct current (MFDC) was flowing through the powder compact, which was under mechanical pressure. The main parameters are the high electrical current......, up to 10 kA, and the low voltage, 1-2 V, resulting in heat generation in the powder. Figure 1 shows the experimental setup. The punches were made of a conductive material; namely a copper alloy. The die, which has to be electrically insulating, was made of alumina. The ESF process takes 3-4s...

Method of manufacturing sintered nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watarumi, Kazutoshi.

1984-01-01

Purpose: To obtain composite pellets with an improved strength. Method: A core mainly composed of fuel materials is previously prepared, embedded into the central portion of a pellet, silted therearound with cladding material, and then pressmolded and sintered. For instance, a rugby-ball like core body with the maximum outer diameter of 6 mm and the height of 6 mm is made by compressive molding with uranium dioxide powder, then coating material comprising the same powder incorporated with 0.1 % by weight of SiC fibers is filled around the core body, which is molded into a composite pellet by means of pressing and then sintered at 1600 0 C, to obtain a sintered pellet of 93.5 % theoretical density. As the result of the compression test for the pellet, it showed a strength greater by 15 % than that of the similar mono-layer pellet. (Kamimura, M.)

Manufacture of sintered bricks of high density from beryllium oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pointud, R.; Rispal, Ch.; Le Garec, M.

1959-01-01

Beryllium oxide bricks of nuclear purity 100 x 100 x 50 and 100 x 100 x 100 mm of very high density (between 2.85 and 3.00) are manufactured by sintering under pressure in graphite moulds at temperatures between 1,750 and 1,850 deg. C, and under a pressure of 150 kg/cm 2 . The physico-chemical state of the saw material is of considerable importance with regard to the success of the sintering operation. In addition, a study of the sintering of a BeO mixture with 3 to 5 per cent of boron introduced in the form of boric acid, boron carbide or elementary boron shows that high densities can only be obtained by sintering under pressure. For technical reasons of manufacture, only the mixture based on boron carbide is used. The sintering is carried out in graphite moulds at 1500 deg. C under 150 kg/cm 2 pressure, and bricks can be obtained with density between 2,85 and 2,90. Laboratory studies and the industrial manufacture of various sinters are described in detail. (author) [fr

Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets fabrication by using atomized powders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goto, R; Sugimoto, S; Matsuura, M; Tezuka, N; Une, Y; Sagawa, M

2011-01-01

Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets are required to achieve high coercivity for improvement of their thermal stability. Dy is added to increase coercivity, however, this element decrease magnetization and energy products. Therefore, Dy-lean Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets with high coercivity are strongly demanded. To increase coercivity, it is necessary that microstructure of sintered magnets is consisted of both fine main phase particles and homogeneously distributed Nd-rich phases around the main phase. To meet those requirements, Nd-Fe-B atomized powders were applied to the fabrication process of sintered magnets. Comparing with the case of using strip casting (SC) alloys, jet-milled powders from atomized powders show homogeneous distribution of Nd-rich phase. After optimized thermal treatment, coercivities of sintered magnets from atomized powders and SC alloys reach 1050 kA·m-1 and 1220 kA·m-1, respectively. This difference in coercivity was due to initial oxygen concentration of starting materials. Consequently, Nd-rich phases became oxides with high melting points, and did not melt and spread during sintering and annealing.

Uniaxial ratcheting behavior of sintered nanosilver joint for electronic packaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Gang; Yu, Lin; Mei, Yunhui; Li, Xin; Chen, Xu; Lu, Guo-Quan

2014-01-01

Uniaxial ratcheting behavior and the fatigue life of sintered nanosilver joint were investigated at room temperature. All tests were carried out under stress-controlled mode. Force–displacement data were recorded during the entire fatigue lifespan by a non-contact displacement detecting system. Effects of stress amplitude, mean stress, stress rate, and stress ratio on the uniaxial ratcheting behavior of the sintered nanosilver joint were discussed. Stress-life (S–N) curves of the sintered joints were also obtained. The Smith–Watson–Topper (SWT) model, the Gerber model and the modified Goodman model, all of which took effect of mean stress into consideration, were compared for predicting the fatigue life of the sintered joint. Both the ratcheting strain and its rate increased with increasing stress amplitude or mean stress. The increase in stress amplitude and mean stress both reduced the fatigue life of the sintered joint, while the fatigue life prolonged with the increase in stress rate and stress ratio. The modified Goodman model predicted the fatigue life of the sintered joints well

Investigation of the Sintering Process Using Non-Contact Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

James C. Foley; David K. Rehbein; Daniel J. Barnard

2001-01-01

In-situ characterizations of green state part density and sintering state have long been desired in the powder metal community. Recent advances in non-contact electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) technology have enabled in-situ monitoring of acoustic amplitude and velocity as sintering proceeds. Samples were made from elemental powders of Al (99.99%), Al (99.7%), Ag, (99.99%), Cu (99.99%) and Fe (99.9%). The powders were pressed in a uniaxial die and examined with acoustic waves for changes in velocity and amplitude during sintering for the samples containing Al, Ag, and Cu. The changes in acoustic properties were correlated with sample microstructures and mechanical properties. Evolution of a series of reverberating echoes during sintering is shown to provide information on the state of sintering, and changes in sintering kinetics as well as having the potential for detection of interior flaws

Cobalt-doped Ti–48Al–2Cr–2Nb alloy fabricated by cold compaction and pressureless sintering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xia, Y. [The University of Queensland, School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, ARC Centre of Excellence for Design in Light Metals, Brisbane, Qld 4072 (Australia); Yu, P. [Department of Micro-Nano Material and Device, The South University of Science and Technology of China, Shenzhen, 518055 (China); Schaffer, G.B. [The University of Queensland, School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, ARC Centre of Excellence for Design in Light Metals, Brisbane, Qld 4072 (Australia); Qian, M., E-mail: ma.qian@uq.edu.au [The University of Queensland, School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, ARC Centre of Excellence for Design in Light Metals, Brisbane, Qld 4072 (Australia)

2013-07-01

An addition of 1.5 at% Co to Ti–48Al–2Cr–2Nb (in at%) transformed the alloy from essentially unsinterable to fully sinterable at 1300 °C. This, together with a simple powder coating process developed recently, has allowed near-net shape fabrication of the alloy for the first time by cold compaction and pressureless sintering. The addition of Co results in the formation of an intermediate face centred cubic (fcc) CoAl{sub 2}Ti phase prior to 1220 °C during heating. It subsequently reacts with an α phase leading to the formation of a Co-containing, wettable sintering liquid through a two-step process, CoAl{sub 2}Ti+α→Liquid at 1256.2 °C and CoAl{sub 2}Ti+α→γ-TiAl+Liquid at 1267.2 °C, and therefore full densification of the alloy. Without Co, sintering of the Ti–48Al–2Cr–2Nb alloy powder at 1300 °C is controlled by the slow self-diffusion of Ti and interdiffusion of Ti and Al according to the activation energy determined. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) identified an fcc CoAl{sub 2}Ti phase and a hexagonal close packed (hcp) Co-enriched Ti(Al, Co, Cr, Nb) phase in the final as-sintered Ti–48Al–2Cr–2Nb–1.5Co alloy. They both form during cooling at 1240 °C through Liquid+α→CoAl{sub 2}Ti+Ti (Al, Co, Cr, Nb). The tensile and compressive properties of the as-sintered Ti–48Al–2Cr–2Nb–1.5Co alloy were compared to the original General Electric (GE) Ti–48Al–2Cr–2Nb alloy fabricated by casting or metal injection moulding.

Coercivity enhancements of Nd–Fe–B sintered magnets by diffusing DyHx along different axes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma, Tianyu; Wang, Xuejiao; Liu, Xiaolian; Wu, Chen; Yan, Mi

2015-01-01

Diffusing heavy rare earth elements along the grain boundaries (GBs) for Nd 2 Fe 14 B-type sintered magnets serves as an effective method to enhance coercivity and to minimize remanence loss simultaneously. Considering the texture anisotropy of Nd-rich GB phases, the coercivity incremental difference by diffusing DyH x fine powders along or perpendicular to the  <0 0 1 >  easy axis (c-axis) has been investigated. The coercivity increases more rapidly to 20.61 kOe (5.76 kOe higher than that of the as-sintered state) when diffusing along the c-axis than that diffusing perpendicular to c-axis (18.85 kOe, 4.00 kOe higher than the as-sintered state). Microstructural investigation reveals that Dy diffuses more easily towards the magnet inner part when treating along the c-axis than that for the perpendicular case due to the anisotropic distribution of the Nd-rich phase. This is verified by a higher Dy content at equivalent diffusing depth and a much deeper final diffusion distance. The local Dy-containing fractions with a stronger anisotropy field are richer for the magnet treated along the c-axis, leading to the much rapider coercivity enhancement. This work reveals that diffusion heavy rare earth along the c-axis is more effective to enhance coercivity for aligned Nd–Fe–B sintered magnets. (paper)

Mechanical characteristics of microwave sintered silicon carbide

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Unknown

sintered process, SiC grain gets oxidized producing SiO2 (∼ 32 wt%) and deteriorates the quality of the product substantially. Partially sintered .... product, could be due to oxidation of SiC, e.g. 50% weight gain of a green SiC sample ... because, the charging current is 90° advanced in phase, ideally, with respect to the ...

Selective laser sintering: A qualitative and objective approach

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Sanjay

2003-10-01

This article presents an overview of selective laser sintering (SLS) work as reported in various journals and proceedings. Selective laser sintering was first done mainly on polymers and nylon to create prototypes for audio-visual help and fit-to-form tests. Gradually it was expanded to include metals and alloys to manufacture functional prototypes and develop rapid tooling. The growth gained momentum with the entry of commercial entities such as DTM Corporation and EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems. Computational modeling has been used to understand the SLS process, optimize the process parameters, and enhance the efficiency of the sintering machine.

Fracture toughness of yttria-stabilized zirconia sintered in conventional and microwave ovens.

Science.gov (United States)

Marinis, Aristotelis; Aquilino, Steven A; Lund, Peter S; Gratton, David G; Stanford, Clark M; Diaz-Arnold, Ana M; Qian, Fang

2013-03-01

The fabrication of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) dental prosthetic substructures requires an extended sintering process (8 to 10 hours) in a conventional oven. Microwave sintering is a shorter process (2 hours) than conventional sintering. The purpose of this study was to compare the fracture toughness of 3 mol % Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 sintered in a conventional or microwave oven. Partially sintered ZrO2 specimens from 3 manufacturers, KaVo, Lava 3M, and Crystal HS were milled (KaVo Everest engine) and randomly divided into 2 groups: conventional sintering and microwave sintering (n=16 per group). The specimens were sintered according to the manufacturers' recommendations and stored in artificial saliva for 10 days. Fracture toughness was determined by using a 4-point bend test, and load to fracture was recorded. Mean fracture toughness for each material was calculated. A 2-way ANOVA followed by the Tukey HDS post hoc test was used to assess the significance of sintering and material effects on fracture toughness, including an interaction between the 2 factors (α=.05). The 2-way ANOVA suggested a significant main effect for ZrO2 manufacturer (P.05). The main effect of the sintering process (Conventional [5.30 MPa·m(1/2) ±1.00] or Microwave [5.36 MPa·m(1/2) ±0.92]) was not significant (P=.76), and there was no interaction between sintering and ZrO2 manufacturer (P=.91). Based on the results of this study, no statistically significant difference was observed in the fracture toughness of ZrO2 sintered in microwave or conventional ovens. Copyright © 2013 The Editorial Council of the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Thermal characteristic of sintered AgeCu nano-paste for high-temperature die-attach application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tan, Kim Seah; Cheong, Kuan Yew; Wong, Yew Hoong

2015-01-01

In this work, thermal characteristic of silver-copper (Ag-Cu) nano-paste that consists of a mixture of nano-sized Ag and Cu particles and organic compounds meant for high-temperature die-attach application is reported. The Ag-Cu nano-paste was sintered at 380 deg. C for 30 min without the need of applying external pressure and the effect of Cu loading (20-80 wt%) on the thermal properties was investigated in against of pure Ag nano-paste and pure Cu nano-paste. The results showed the specific heat of sintered Ag-Cu nano-paste was increased as the loading of Cu increased. For thermal conductivity and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of sintered Ag-Cu nano-paste, a declining trend has been recorded with the increment of Cu loading. Overall, the sintered Ag-Cu nano-paste with 20 wt% of Cu loading has demonstrated the best combination of thermal conductivity (K) and CTE (α), which were 159 W/m K and 13 x 10 -6 /K, respectively. It has proven that there was a strong correlation between the amount of pores and thermal properties of the nano-paste. The ratio of K/α is a performance index (M), which has shown a higher value (12.2 x 10 6 W/m) than most of the commonly used die-attach systems. Finally, the Ag-Cu nano-paste has demonstrated a melting point of 955 deg. C, which can be proposed as an alternative high-temperature die-attach material

Sintering, microstructural and dilatometric studies of combustion synthesized Synroc phases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muthuraman, M.; Patil, K.C.; Senbagaraman, S.; Umarji, A.M.

1996-01-01

Sintering, microstructure, and linear thermal expansion properties of Synroc-B and constituent phases, viz. perovskite CaTiO 3 , zirconolite ZrTi 2 O 7 , hollandite (ideal formula BaAl2Ti 6 O 16 ) have been investigated. Synroc-B powder when pelletized and sintered at 1250 C for 2 h achieved >95% theoretical density. Sintered Synroc-B has a linear thermal expansion coefficient α of 8.72 x 10 -6 K -1 and Vicker's microhardness 9.88 GPa. The linear thermal expansion curves did not show any hysteresis indicating the absence of microcracking in the sintered bodies

Processing development for ceramic structural components: the influence of a presintering of silicon on the final properties of reaction bonded silicon nitride. Final technical report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1982-03-01

The influence of a presintering of silicon on the final properties of reaction bonded silicon nitride has been studied using scanning electron and optical microscopy, x-ray diffraction analysis, 4 pt. bend test, and mecury intrusion porosimetry. It has been shown that presintering at 1050/sup 0/C will not affect the final nitrided properties. At 1200/sup 0/C, the oxide layer is removed, promoting the formation of B-phase silicon nitride. Presintering at 1200/sup 0/C also results in compact weight loss due to the volatilization of silicon, and the formation of large pores which severely reduce nitrided strength. The development of the structure of sintered silicon compacts appears to involve a temperature gradient, with greater sintering observed near the surface.

Report on in-situ studies of flash sintering of uranium dioxide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raftery, Alicia Marie [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2017-01-24

Flash sintering is a novel type of field assisted sintering that uses an electric field and current to provide densification of materials on very short time scales. The potential for field assisted sintering techniques to be used in producing nuclear fuel is gaining recognition due to the potential economic benefits and improvements in material properties. The flash sintering behavior has so far been linked to applied and material parameters, but the underlying mechanisms active during flash sintering have yet to be identified. This report summarizes the efforts to investigate flash sintering of uranium dioxide using dilatometer studies at Los Alamos National Laboratory and two separate sets of in-situ studies at Brookhaven National Laboratory’s NSLS-II XPD-1 beamline. The purpose of the dilatometer studies was to understand individual parameter (applied and material) effects on the flash behavior and the purpose of the in-situ studies was to better understand the mechanisms active during flash sintering. As far as applied parameters, it was found that stoichiometry, or oxygen-to-metal ratio, has a significant effect on the flash behavior (time to flash and speed of flash). Composite systems were found to have degraded sintering behavior relative to pure UO₂. The critical field studies are complete for UO_2.00 and will be analyzed against an existing model for comparison. The in-situ studies showed that the strength of the field and current are directly related to the sample temperature, with temperature-driven phase changes occurring at high values. The existence of an ‘incubation time’ has been questioned, due to a continuous change in lattice parameter values from the moment that the field is applied. Some results from the in-situ experiments, which should provide evidence regarding ion migration, are still being analyzed. Some preliminary conclusions can be made from these results with regard to using field assisted sintering to

Osteoblastic cell response to spark plasma-sintered zirconia/titanium cermets.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez-Garcia, Elisa; Guillem-Marti, Jordi; Gutierrez-Gonzalez, Carlos F; Fernandez, Adolfo; Ginebra, Maria-Pau; Lopez-Esteban, Sonia

2015-01-01

Ceramic/metal composites, cermets, arise from the idea to combine the dissimilar properties in the pure materials. This work aims to study the biocompatibility of new micro-nanostructured 3 Y-TZP/Ti materials with 25, 50 and 75 vol.% Ti, which have been successfully obtained by spark slasma sintering technology, as well as to correlate their surface properties (roughness, wettability and chemical composition) with the osteoblastic cell response. All samples had isotropic and slightly waved microstructure, with sub-micrometric average roughness. Composites with 75 vol.% Ti had the highest surface hydrophilicity. Surface chemical composition of the cermets correlated well with the relative amounts used for their fabrication. A cell viability rate over 80% dismissed any cytotoxicity risk due to manufacturing. Cell adhesion and early differentiation were significantly enhanced on materials containing the nanostructured 3 Y-TZP phase. Proliferation and differentiation of SaOS-2 were significantly improved in their late-stage on the composite with 75 vol.% Ti that, from the osseointegration standpoint, is presented as an excellent biomaterial for bone replacement. Thus, spark plasma sintering is consolidated as a suitable technology for manufacturing nanostructured biomaterials with enhanced bioactivity. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Assessment of polyphase sintered iron-cobalt-iron boride cermets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nowacki, J.; Pieczonka, T.

2004-01-01

Sintering of iron, cobalt and boron powders has been analysed. As a result iron-iron boride, Fe-Fe 2 B and iron/cobalt boride with a slight admixture of molybdenum, Fe - Co - (FeMoCo) 2 B cermets have been produced. Iron was introduced to the mixture as the Astalloy Mo Hoeganaes grade powder. Elemental amorphous boron powder was used, and formation of borides occurred both during heating and isothermal sintering periods causing dimensional changes of the sintered body. Dilatometry was chosen to control basic phenomena taking place during multiphase sintering of investigated systems. The microstructure and phase constituents of sintered compacts were controlled as well. The cermets produced were substituted to: metallographic tests, X-ray analysis, measurements of hardness and of microhardness, and of wear in the process of sliding dry friction. Cermets are made up of two phases; hard grains of iron - cobalt boride, (FeCo) 2 B (1800 HV) constituting the reinforcement and a relatively soft and plastic eutectic mixture Fe 2 B - Co (400-500 HV) constituting the matrix. (author)

Biocompatibility assessment of spark plasma-sintered alumina-titanium cermets.

Science.gov (United States)

Guzman, Rodrigo; Fernandez-García, Elisa; Gutierrez-Gonzalez, Carlos F; Fernandez, Adolfo; Lopez-Lacomba, Jose Luis; Lopez-Esteban, Sonia

2016-01-01

Alumina-titanium materials (cermets) of enhanced mechanical properties have been lately developed. In this work, physical properties such as electrical conductivity and the crystalline phases in the bulk material are evaluated. As these new cermets manufactured by spark plasma sintering may have potential application for hard tissue replacements, their biocompatibility needs to be evaluated. Thus, this research aims to study the cytocompatibility of a novel alumina-titanium (25 vol. % Ti) cermet compared to its pure counterpart, the spark plasma sintered alumina. The influence of the particular surface properties (chemical composition, roughness and wettability) on the pre-osteoblastic cell response is also analyzed. The material electrical resistance revealed that this cermet may be machined to any shape by electroerosion. The investigated specimens had a slightly undulated topography, with a roughness pattern that had similar morphology in all orientations (isotropic roughness) and a sub-micrometric average roughness. Differences in skewness that implied valley-like structures in the cermet and predominance of peaks in alumina were found. The cermet presented a higher surface hydrophilicity than alumina. Any cytotoxicity risk associated with the new materials or with the innovative manufacturing methodology was rejected. Proliferation and early-differentiation stages of osteoblasts were statistically improved on the composite. Thus, our results suggest that this new multifunctional cermet could improve current alumina-based biomedical devices for applications such as hip joint replacements. © The Author(s) 2015.

Multiple recycling of NdFeB-type sintered magnets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zakotnik, M. [Department of Metallurgy and Materials, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom)], E-mail: miha.zakotnik@gmail.com; Harris, I.R.; Williams, A.J. [Department of Metallurgy and Materials, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom)

2009-02-05

Some fully dense, sintered NdFeB-type magnets (employed in VCM disc drives) have been subjected to a recycling process using the hydrogen decrepitation (HD) process. After a brief milling treatment, the powder was aligned, pressed and re-sintered and this procedure was repeated four times with a progressive fall in the density and in the magnetic properties. The chemical analysis indicated that this was due to the progressive oxidation of the Nd-rich material and to some Nd loss by evaporation. The procedure was then repeated but with the addition (blending) of a fine powder of neodymium hydride after the first cycle. It was found that the addition of 1 at.% of neodymium at each stage was sufficient to maintain the density and the magnetic properties of the recycled magnets up to and including the 4th cycle. Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and metallographic analysis indicated that the neodymium hydride additions compensated for the neodymium loss due to evaporation and to oxidation so that the proportion of Nd-rich material remained approximately constant. The additional amount of Nd{sub 2}O{sub 3} in the blended recycled magnets appeared to inhibit grain growth on the 3rd and 4th cycles when compared to that of the unblended magnets. The next challenge is to see if the process can be scaled-up to an industrial scale.

Thermal Properties of Silver Nanoparticle Sintering Bonding Paste for High-Power LED Packaging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ping Zhang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the preparation of low-temperature sintered nanosilver paste with inverse microemulsion method with Span-80/Triton X-100 as the mixed-surfactant and analyzes the influence of different sintering parameters (temperature, pressure on the shear properties of low-temperature sintering of nanosilver. Experimental results show that the shear strength of the low-temperature sintering of nanosilver increases as the temperature and pressure increase. But there are many pores and relative fewer cracks on the sintering layer after low-temperature sintered. The test thermal resistance of low-temperature sintered nanosilver paste is 0.795 K/W which is greater than SAC305 weld layer with a T3ster thermal analyzer. The adhesive performance and the heat dispersion of low-temperature sintered nanosilver paste need to be further researched and improved.

Boron Carbide: Stabilization of Highly-Loaded Aqueous Suspensions, Pressureless Sintering, and Room Temperature Injection Molding

Science.gov (United States)

Diaz-Cano, Andres

Boron carbide (B4C) is the third hardest material after diamond and cubic boron nitride. It's unique combination of properties makes B4C a highly valuable material. With hardness values around 35 MPa, a high melting point, 2450°C, density of 2.52 g/cm3, and high chemical inertness, boron carbide is used in severe wear components, like cutting tools and sandblasting nozzles, nuclear reactors' control rots, and finally and most common application, armor. Production of complex-shaped ceramic component is complex and represents many challenges. Present research presents a new and novel approach to produce complex-shaped B4C components. Proposed approach allows forming to be done at room temperatures and under very low forming pressures. Additives and binder concentrations are kept as low as possible, around 5Vol%, while ceramics loadings are maximized above 50Vol%. Given that proposed approach uses water as the main solvent, pieces drying is simple and environmentally safe. Optimized formulation allows rheological properties to be tailored and adjust to multiple processing approaches, including, injection molding, casting, and additive manufacturing. Boron carbide samples then were pressureless sintered. Due to the high covalent character of boron carbide, multiples sintering aids and techniques have been proposed in order to achieve high levels of densification. However, is not possible to define a clear sintering methodology based on literature. Thus, present research developed a comprehensive study on the effect of multiple sintering aids on the densification of boron carbide when pressureless sintered. Relative densities above 90% were achieved with values above 30MPa in hardness. Current research allows extending the uses and application of boron carbide, and other ceramic systems, by providing a new approach to produce complex-shaped components with competitive properties.

Sinterization of manganese ore tailings under natural air

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lima, M.M.F.; Souza, L.G.P.R.M.F. [Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP), MG (Brazil)

2014-07-01

The manganese ore has wide application in metallurgy. However, from each of three hundred concentrations found, only one can be seen as a deposit. The aim of this study was to obtain and characterize a sinter from manganese ore tailing. The tailing was milled, classified (<400 ⧣) and calcinated (800°C - 3600s). The mixture had 12% moisture, 7 and 9% of activated charcoal. After homogenization, the sintering were carried out at 1140, 1145 and 1150°C during 1800, 7200 and 14400s at natural air. The sintered products were characterized by EDS analysis, BET surface area, apparent density, X-rays diffraction and SEM/EDS. The mass loss was approximately 14% and 16% in the calcination and sintering, respectively, due to the elimination of volatile products and water. The main phases characterized: SiO2, silicate with high content of manganese in the matrix and other silicates with different proportions of Ti, Na, Mn, Mg and Ca. (author)

Sintering of dioxide pellets in an oxidizing atmosphere (CO2)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, G.R.T.

1992-01-01

This work consists in the study of the sintering process of U O 2 pellets in an oxidizing atmosphere. Sintering tests were performed in an CO 2 atmosphere and the influence of temperature and time on the pellets density and microstructure were verified. The results obtained were compared to those from the conventional sintering process and its efficiency was confirmed. (author)

Sintering method for nuclear fuel pellet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Omuta, Hirofumi; Nakabayashi, Shigetoshi.

1997-01-01

When sintering a compressed nuclear fuel powder in an atmosphere of a mixed gas comprising hydrogen and nitrogen, steams are added to the mixed gas to suppress the nitrogen content in sintered nuclear fuel pellets. In addition, the content of nitrogen impurities in the nuclear fuel pellets can be controlled by controlling the amount of steams to be added to the mixed gas, namely, by controlling the dew point as an index thereof. If the addition amount of steams to the mixed gas is determined by controlling the dew point as an index, the content of nitrogen impurities in the sintered nuclear fuel pellets can be controlled reliably to a specified value of 0.0075% or less. If ammonolyzed gas is used as the mixed gas, a more economical mixed gas can be obtained than in the case of forming mixed gas by mixing the hydrogen gas and the nitrogen gas. (N.H.)

Sintered cobalt-rare earth intermetallic product

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benz, M.G.

1975-01-01

This patent describes a sintered product having substantially stable permanent magnet properties in air at room temperature. It comprises compacted particulate cobalt--rare earth alloy consisting essentially of a Co 5 R intermetallic phase and a CoR intermetallic phase which is richer in rare earth metal content than the Co 5 R phase, where R is a rare earth metal. The Co 5 R intermetallic phase is present in an amount of at least 65 percent by weight of the sintered product and the CoR intermetallic phase which is richer in rare earth metal content than the Co 5 R phase is present in a positive amount having a value ranging up to about 35 percent by weight of the product. The sintered product has a density of at least 87 percent and has pores which are substantially noninterconnecting and wherein the component grains have an average size less than 30 microns

Two-step flash light sintering of copper nanoparticle ink to remove substrate warping

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ryu, Chung-Hyeon; Joo, Sung-Jun [Department of Mechanical Convergence Engineering, Hanyang University, Haengdang-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 133-791 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hak-Sung, E-mail: kima@hanyang.ac.kr [Department of Mechanical Convergence Engineering, Hanyang University, Haengdang-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 133-791 (Korea, Republic of); Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Hanyang University, Seoul, 133-791 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-30

Highlights: • We performed the two-step flash light sintering for copper nanoparticle ink to remove substrate warping. • 12 J/cm{sup 2} of preheating and 7 J/cm{sup 2} of main sintering energies were determined as optimum conditions to sinter the copper nanoparticle ink. • The resistivity of two-step sintered copper nanoparticle ink was 3.81 μΩ cm with 5B adhesion level, 2.3 times greater than that of bulk copper. • The two-step sintered case showed a high conductivity without any substrate warping. - Abstract: A two-step flash light sintering process was devised to reduce the warping of polymer substrates during the sintering of copper nanoparticle ink. To determine the optimum sintering conditions of the copper nanoparticle ink, the flash light irradiation conditions (pulse power, pulse number, on-time, and off-time) were varied and optimized. In order to monitor the flash light sintering process, in situ resistance and temperature monitoring of copper nanoink were conducted during the flash light sintering process. Also, a transient heat transfer analysis was performed by using the finite-element program ABAQUS to predict the temperature changes of copper nanoink and polymer substrate. The microstructures of the sintered copper nanoink films were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, an X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize the crystal phase change of the sintered copper nanoparticles. The resulting two-step flash light sintered copper nanoink films exhibited a low resistivity (3.81 μΩ cm, 2.3 times of that of bulk copper) and 5B level of adhesion strength without warping of the polymer substrate.

Spark plasma sintering of SiC and ZrC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guillard, F.; Galy, J. [CEMES-CNRS, 29 rue Jeanne Marvig BP94347 31055 Toulouse Cx 4 (France); Allemand, A. [CEA Saclay, DRT/DTEN/S3ME/LTMEx, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

2005-07-01

Spark plasma sintering a relative new technique allows sintering material powders in a reduced time compared to formal process of densification. In order to analyse densification mechanisms and to compare with hot isostatic pressing technique, pellets of silicon carbide and zirconium carbide were sintered by HIP and by SPS from 1750 to 1950 deg. C, with different pressures (50 to 75 MPa) and various holding times (0 to 10 min). Their densities were determined and their microstructures were SEM analysed. (authors)

Sintering prevention and phase transformation of FePt nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding, Y.; Majetich, S.A.; Kim, J.; Barmak, K.; Rollins, H.; Sides, P.

2004-01-01

Two approaches attempted to overcome FePt nanoparticle sintering during the transformation to the high coercivity L1 0 phase, which currently limits the use of these nanoparticles in data storage media. High-pressure treatment of dilute nanoparticle solutions failed to prevent sintering due to surfactant decomposition above 360 deg. C. By pre-annealing nanoparticle monolayers to decompose the surfactant, and then coating with an immiscible SiO 2 matrix, sintering was prevented with annealing temperatures up to 700 deg. C

Photoacoustic spectroscopy investigation of sintered zinc-tin-oxide ceramics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivetić Tamara B.

2007-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper the changes that occurred in differently activated ZnO-SnO2 and sintered samples were investigated using photoacoustic spectroscopy. ZnO and SnO2 powders, mixed in the molar ratio 2:1, were mechanically activated in a planetary ball mill for 10-160 min. The mixtures were pres­sed and isothermally sintered at 1300°C for two hours. X-ray diffraction analysis of the obtained sintered samples was performed in order to investigate changes of the phase composition and confirmed only the presence of a pure zinc stannate (Zn2SnO4 phase in all the sintered samples as a result of the solid state reaction and reaction sintering between the starting ZnO and SnO2 powders. The microstructure of the sintered sam­ples was examined by scanning electron microscopy and showed that mechanical activation leads to the formation of a structure with reduced particle size which accelerates spinel formation. Grain growth of the spinel phase slows down the densification process and together with the agglomerates formed during mechanical activation causes the appearance of a porous microstructure. The photoacoustic (PA phase and amplitude spectra of the sintered samples were recorded as a function of the chopped frequency of the laser beam used (red laser with a power of 25 mW, λ=632 nm in a thermal-transmission detection configuration. PA experimental data were analyzed using the Rosenzweig-Gersho thermal-piston model, which enabled determination of the thermal diffusivity, ZT (m2s-1, diffusion coefficient of the minority free carriers D (m2s-1 and the optical absorption coefficient (m-1. The detected differences of the measured thermal-electrical properties of the obtained Zn2SnO4 ceramics indicate changes in the material induced by the different preparation procedure of the starting powders before the sintering process.

Vacuum-sintered body of a novel apatite for artificial bone

Science.gov (United States)

Tamura, Kenichi; Fujita, Tatsushi; Morisaki, Yuriko

2013-12-01

We produced regenerative artificial bone material and bone parts using vacuum-sintered bodies of a novel apatite called "Titanium medical apatite (TMA®)" for biomedical applications. TMA was formed by chemically connecting a Ti oxide molecule with the reactive [Ca10(PO4)6] group of Hydroxyapatite (HAp). The TMA powders were kneaded with distilled water, and solid cylinders of compacted TMA were made by compression molding at 10 MPa using a stainless-steel vessel. The TMA compacts were dried and then sintered in vacuum (about 10-3 Pa) or in air using a resistance heating furnace in the temperature range 1073-1773 K. TMA compacts were sintered at temperatures greater than 1073 K, thus resulting in recrystallization. The TMA compact bodies sintered in the range 1273-1773 K were converted into mixtures composed of three crystalline materials: α-TCP (tricalcium phosphate), β-TCP, and Perovskite-CaTiO3. The Perovskite crystals were stable and hard. In vacuum-sintering, the Perovskite crystals were transformed into fibers (approximately 1 µm in diameter × 8 µm in length), and the fiber distribution was uniform in various directions. We refer to the TMA vacuum-sintered bodies as a "reinforced composite material with Perovskite crystal fibers." However, in atmospheric sintering, the Perovskite crystals were of various sizes and were irregularly distributed as a result of the effect of oxygen. After sintering temperature at 1573 K, the following results were obtained: the obtained TMA vacuum-sintered bodies (1) were white, (2) had a density of approximately 2300 kg/m3 (corresponding to that of a compact bone or a tooth), and had a thermal conductivity of approximately 31.3 W/(m·K) (corresponding to those of metal or ceramic implants). Further, it was possible to cut the TMA bodies into various forms with a cutting machine. An implant made of TMA and inserted into a rabbit jaw bone was covered by new bone tissues after just one month because of the high

Comparison between Palm Oil Derivative and Commercial Thermo-Plastic Binder System on the Properties of the Stainless Steel 316L Sintered Parts

Science.gov (United States)

Ibrahim, R.; Azmirruddin, M.; Wei, G. C.; Fong, L. K.; Abdullah, N. I.; Omar, K.; Muhamad, M.; Muhamad, S.

2010-03-01

Binder system is one of the most important criteria for the powder injection molding (PIM) process. Failure in the selection of the binder system will affect on the final properties of the sintered parts. The objectives of this studied is to develop a novel binder system based on the local natural resources and environmental friendly binder system from palm oil derivative which is easily available and cheap in our country of Malaysia. The novel binder that has been developed will be replaced the commercial thermo-plastic binder system or as an alternative binder system. The results show that the physical and mechanical properties of the final sintered parts fulfill the Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) standard 35 for PIM parts. The biocompatibility test using cell osteosarcoma (MG63) and vero fibroblastic also shows that the cell was successfully growth on the sintered stainless steel 316L parts indicate that the novel binder was not toxic. Therefore, the novel binder system based on palm oil derivative that has been developed as a binder system fulfills the important criteria for the binder system in PIM process.

Evaluation of Sintering Behavior of Premix Al-Zn-Mg-Cu Alloy Powder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haris Rudianto

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Sintering of light aluminium alloys powder has been investigated as a way to substitute steels in automotive and aerospace industries. Premix Al-5.5Zn-2.5Mg-0.5Cu composite powder called Alumix 431D was analyzed in this research. Sintering was carried out under ultra high purity nitrogen gas and before reaching sintering temperature, green samples were delubricated at 400°C for 30 min. The powder possesses high sinterability by reaching 96% relative density at 580°C sintering temperature. Formation of liquid phase seems to support achieving high sintering density. Optimum mechanical properties also were obtained under those conditions. T6 heat treatment was done to improve the mechanical properties by formation of precipitation strengthening, and MgZn2 appears to be dominant strengthening precipitate. X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, and SEM-EDS were used to characterize powder, and sintered and heat treated samples.

Effects of sintering temperature on electrical properties of sheep enamel hydroxyapatite

Science.gov (United States)

Dumludag, F.; Gunduz, O.; Kılıc, O.; Kılıc, B.; Ekren, N.; Kalkandelen, C.; Oktar, F. N.

2017-12-01

Bioceramics, especially calcium phosphate based bioceramics, whose examples are hydroxyapatite, and calcium phosphate powders have been widely used in the biomedical engineering applications. Hydroxyapatite (HA) is one of the most promising biomaterials, which are derived from natural sources, chemical method, animal like dental enamel and corals. The influence of sintering temperature on the electrical properties (i.e. DC conductivity, AC conductivity) of samples of sintered sheep enamel (SSSE) was studied in air and in vacuum ambient at room temperature. The sheep enamel were sintered at varying temperatures between 1000°C and 1300°C. DC conductivity results revealed that while dc conductivity of the SSSE decreases with increasing the sintering temperature in air ambient the values increased with increasing the sintering temperature in vacuum ambient. AC conductivity measurements were performed in the frequency range of 40 Hz - 105 Hz. The results showed that ac conductivity values decrease with increasing the sintering temperature.

Structural and mechanical characterization of boron doped biphasic calcium phosphate produced by wet chemical method and subsequent thermal treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Albayrak, Onder, E-mail: albayrakonder@mersin.edu.tr

2016-03-15

In the current study, boron doped biphasic calcium phosphate bioceramics consisting of a mixture of boron doped hydroxyapatite (BHA) and beta tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) of varying BHA/β-TCP ratios were obtained after sintering stage. The effects of varying boron contents and different sintering temperatures on the BHA/β-TCP ratios and on the sinterability of the final products were investigated. Particle sizes and morphologies of the obtained precipitates were determined using SEM. XRD and FTIR investigation were conducted to detect the boron formation in the structure of HA and quantitative analysis was performed to determine the BHA/β-TCP ratio before and after sintering stage. In order to determine the sinterability of the obtained powders, pellets were prepared and sintered; the rates of densification were calculated and obtained results were correlated by SEM images. Also Vickers microhardness values of the sintered samples were determined. The experimental results verified that boron doped hydroxyapatite powders were obtained after sintering stage and the structure consists of a mixture of BHA and β-TCP. As the boron content used in the precipitation stage increases, β-TCP content of the BHA/β-TCP ratio increases but sinterability, density and microhardness deteriorate. As the sintering temperature increases, β-TCP content, density and microhardness of the samples increase and sinterability improves. - Highlights: • This is the first paper about boron doped biphasic calcium phosphate bioceramics. • Boron doping affects the structural and mechanical properties. • BHA/β-TCP ratio can be adjustable with boron content and sintering temperature.

Reactive Sintering of Bimodal WC-Co Hardmetals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marek Tarraste

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Bimodal WC-Co hardmetals were produced using novel technology - reactive sintering. Milled and activated tungsten and graphite powders were mixed with commercial coarse grained WC-Co powder and then sintered. The microstructure of produced materials was free of defects and consisted of evenly distributed coarse and fine tungsten carbide grains in cobalt binder. The microstructure, hardness and fracture toughness of reactive sintered bimodal WC-Co hardmetals is exhibited. Developed bimodal hardmetal has perspective for demanding wear applications for its increased combined hardness and toughness. Compared to coarse material there is only slight decrease in fracture toughness (K1c is 14.7 for coarse grained and 14.4 for bimodal, hardness is increased from 1290 to 1350 HV units.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.21.3.7511

High performance sinter-HIP for hard metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hongxia Chen; Deming Zhang; Yang Li; Jingping Chen

2001-01-01

The horizontal sinter-HIP equipment with great charge capacity and high performance, developed and manufactured by Central Iron and Steel Research Institute(CISRI), is mainly used for sintering and condensation of hard metals. This equipment is characterized by large hot zone, high heating speed, good temperature uniformity and fast cooling system. The equipment can provide uniform hot zone with temperature difference less than 6 o C at 1500-1600 o C and 6-10 MPa by controlling temperature, pressure and circulation of gas precisely. Using large scale horizontal sinter-HIP equipment to produce hard matals have many advantages such as stable quality, high efficiency of production, high rate of finished products and low production cost, so this equipment is a good choice for manufacturer of hard metals. (author)

Recent Advances and Research Status in Energy Conservation of Iron Ore Sintering in China

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yao-Zu; Zhang, Jian-Liang; Liu, Zheng-Jian; Du, Cheng-Bo

2017-11-01

For the ferrous burden of blast furnaces in China, sinter generally accounts for more than 70% and the sintering process accounts for approximately 6-10% of the total energy consumption of the iron and steel enterprise. Therefore, saving energy during the sintering process is important to reduce the energy consumption in the iron and steel industry. This paper aims to illustrate recent advances and the research status of energy conservation of iron ore sintering in China. It focuses on the development and application of energy-saving technologies such as the composite agglomeration process, sintering with high-proportion flue gas recirculation sintering, recovery of sensible heat from the sinter cooling process, homogeneous deep-bed sintering technology, and comprehensive treatment technology of leakage of sintering. Moreover, some suggestions for the future development of energy-saving technologies are put forward.

Enhanced pressureless bonding by Tin Doped Silver Paste at low sintering temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Cheng-Xiang [School of Material Science and Engineering, and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Advanced Joining Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin (China); Department of Material Science and Engineering, Virginia Tech (United States); Li, Xin, E-mail: xinli@tju.edu.cn [School of Material Science and Engineering, and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Advanced Joining Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin (China); Lu, Guo-Quan [School of Material Science and Engineering, and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Advanced Joining Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin (China); Department of Material Science and Engineering, Virginia Tech (United States); Mei, Yun-Hui [School of Material Science and Engineering, and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Advanced Joining Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin (China)

2016-04-13

The nanosilver sintering die-attach technique has been a promising alternative for wide band gap semiconductors. However, it is less preferable in industry because of its high sintering temperature. Recently research has been initiated to develop transient liquid phase sintering (TLPS) solder paste for use in electronics packaging. In this article, in order to lower the sintering temperature of nanosilver paste, we develop a novel tin (up to 10 wt%) doped silver paste (TDSP) and a sintering profile with the highest processing temperature of 235 °C based on TLPS. Sintered TDSP is Ag/Ag{sub 3}Sn/Ag–Sn solid solution composites. The composites have a microstructure of Ag matrix grains reinforced by Ag{sub 3}Sn and Ag–Sn solid solution within the matrix grains. And this microstructure endows the sintered Ag+4%Sn with a pressureless bonding strength of 23 MPa. The improved mechanical properties of sintered TDSP are attributed to second-phase strengthening and solid solution strengthening mechanisms. However, the overmuch formation of brittle Ag{sub 3}Sn phase is the main reason resulting in sharp decrease of bonding strength when the Sn content over 5 wt%. The new TDSP technology is expected to be applicable to a wide range of power semiconductors devices, such as organic devices and printed circuit boards. Furthermore, it provides new strategies for low-temperature sintering.

Spark plasma sintering of titanium aluminide intermetallics and its composites

Science.gov (United States)

Aldoshan, Abdelhakim Ahmed

Titanium aluminide intermetallics are a distinct class of engineering materials having unique properties over conventional titanium alloys. gamma-TiAl compound possesses competitive physical and mechanical properties at elevated temperature applications compared to Ni-based superalloys. gamma-TiAl composite materials exhibit high melting point, low density, high strength and excellent corrosion resistance. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is one of the powder metallurgy techniques where powder mixture undergoes simultaneous application of uniaxial pressure and pulsed direct current. Unlike other sintering techniques such as hot iso-static pressing and hot pressing, SPS compacts the materials in shorter time (< 10 min) with a lower temperature and leads to highly dense products. Reactive synthesis of titanium aluminide intermetallics is carried out using SPS. Reactive sintering takes place between liquid aluminum and solid titanium. In this work, reactive sintering through SPS was used to fabricate fully densified gamma-TiAl and titanium aluminide composites starting from elemental powders at different sintering temperatures. It was observed that sintering temperature played significant role in the densification of titanium aluminide composites. gamma-TiAl was the predominate phase at different temperatures. The effect of increasing sintering temperature on microhardness, microstructure, yield strength and wear behavior of titanium aluminide was studied. Addition of graphene nanoplatelets to titanium aluminide matrix resulted in change in microhardness. In Ti-Al-graphene composites, a noticeable decrease in coefficient of friction was observed due to the influence of self-lubrication caused by graphene.

Hexagonal OsB2: Sintering, microstructure and mechanical properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xie, Zhilin; Lugovy, Mykola; Orlovskaya, Nina; Graule, Thomas; Kuebler, Jakob; Mueller, Martin; Gao, Huili; Radovic, Miladin; Cullen, David A.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • ReB 2 -type hexagonal OsB 2 powder has been densified by spark plasma sintering. • The sintered OsB 2 contains ∼80 wt.% hexagonal and ∼20 wt.% orthorhombic phases. • The average grain size of the sintered OsB 2 sample was 0.56 ± 0.26 μm. • H = 31 ± 9 GPa and E = 574 ± 112 GPa measured by nanoindentation. - Abstract: The metastable high pressure ReB 2 -type hexagonal OsB 2 bulk ceramics was produced by spark plasma sintering. The phase composition, microstructure, and mechanical behavior of the sintered OsB 2 were studied by X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, TEM, SEM, EDS, and nanoindentation. The produced ceramics was rather porous and contained a mixture of hexagonal (∼80 wt.%) and orthorhombic (∼20 wt.%) phases as identified by X-ray diffraction and EBSD analysis. Two boron-rich phases, which do not contain Os, were also identified by TEM and SEM/EDS analysis. Nanoindentation measurements yielded a hardness of 31 ± 9 GPa and Young’s modulus of 574 ± 112 GPa, indicating that the material is rather hard and very stiff; however, it is very prone to crack formation and propagation, which is indicative of a very brittle nature of this material. Improvements in the sintering regime are required in order to produce dense, homogeneous and single phase hexagonal OsB 2 bulk ceramics

Effect of Power Characteristics on the Densification of Sintered Alumina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Sarraj, Z.S.A.; Noor, S.S.

2011-01-01

The effect of particle size distribution, soaking time and sintering temperatures on the densification behaviors of α-Al 2 O 3 was investigated. Two different average particle sizes of 36 and 45μ were examined as a variable to analyze the difference in density, radial and axial shrinkage, densification, and microstructure developments. Conventional powder technology route was used to prepare disc-shaped green pellets sintered at 1200-1600 0 C for different periods. Density measurements for both green and sintered compacts allow for the refinement of processing parameters to obtain dense sintered bodies. Compacts with particle size of 36 μm were noticed to attain higher relative densities as compared with those of 45μm. Densification parameter (ΔP) calculations clearly reveals the presence of definite temperatures and times in which limited densification retardation occurred, which permits the suggesting of suitable sintering schemes for this material. Scanning electron micrographs analysis revealed a pore structure assist the observed behaviours for the different schemes. (author)

Sintering with a chemical reaction as applied to uranium monocarbide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Accary, A.; Caillat, R.

1960-01-01

The present paper provides a survey of different investigations whose aim was the preparation and fabrication of uranium monocarbide for nuclear use. If a chemical reaction takes place in the sample during the sintering operation, it may be expected that the atom rearrangements involved in this reaction should favour the sintering process and thereby lower the temperature needed to yield a body of a given density. With this hypothesis in mind, the following methods have been studied: - Sintering of U-C mixtures; - Sintering of UO 2 -C mixtures; - Hot pressing of U-C mixtures; - Extrusion of U-C mixtures. To generalize our result, it could be said that a chemical reaction does not lead to high densification, if one depends on a simple contact between discrete particles. On the contrary, a chemical reaction can help sintering if, as our hot pressing experiments shows, the densification can be achieved prior to the reaction. (author) [fr

The study of Ashby-type sintering diagrams for uranium dioxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Georgeoni, P.

1980-01-01

Computer modelling of binary and ternary Ashby-type sintering diagrams for stoechiometric and hyperstoechiometric uranium dioxide (in the range O/U = 2, 0-2, 10). Material data and mass transfer equations, selected from the literature, were used. Sintering isochronous curves were calculated and traced as well. Improvement of a modern dilatometric method by reading and processing experimental curves on a computer and by determining for them a criterion of proximity to the theoretical model equation. It was possible: to develop a reliable method of determination for the dominant mechanism, diffusion coefficient and real process activation energy; to draw up the real sintering diagram; to understand the quantitative and qualitative changes occuring during the actual sintering process of UO 2 , concerning massing and modification of pore shape; to recommend the technological parameters of the thermal regime concerning the elimination of lubricant and binder additives in order to obtain high quality sintered tablets. (author)

Two-step flash light sintering process for crack-free inkjet-printed Ag films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Sung-Hyeon; Kim, Hak-Sung; Jang, Shin; Lee, Dong-Jun; Oh, Jehoon

2013-01-01

In this paper, a two-step flash light sintering process for inkjet-printed Ag films is investigated with the aim of improving the quality of sintered Ag films. The flash light sintering process is divided into two steps: a preheating step and a main sintering step. The preheating step is used to remove the organic binder without abrupt vaporization. The main sintering step is used to complete the necking connections among the silver nanoparticles and achieve high electrical conductivity. The process minimizes the damage on the polymer substrate and the interface between the sintered Ag film and polymer substrate. The electrical conductivity is calculated by measuring the resistance and cross-sectional area with an LCR meter and 3D optical profiler, respectively. It is found that the resistivity of the optimal flash light-sintered Ag films (36.32 nΩ m), which is 228.86% of that of bulk silver, is lower than that of thermally sintered ones (40.84 nΩ m). Additionally, the polyimide film used as the substrate is preserved with the inkjet-printed pattern shape during the flash light sintering process without delamination or defects. (paper)

Quartz crystal reinforced quartz glass by spark plasma sintering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torikai, D.; Barazani, B.; Ono, E.; Santos, M.F.M.; Suzuki, C.K.

2011-01-01

The Spark Plasma Sintering presents fast processing time when compared to conventional sintering techniques. This allows to control the grain growth during sintering as well as the diffusion rate of a multi-material compounds, and make possible obtainment of functionally graded materials and nanostructured compounds. Powders of high purity silica glass and crystalline silica were sintered in a SPS equipment at temperatures around 1350° C, i.e., above the softening temperature of silica glass and below the melting temperature of quartz crystal. As a result, glass ceramics with pure silica glass matrix reinforced with crystalline alpha-quartz grains were fabricated at almost any desired range of composition, as well as controlled size of the crystalline reinforcement. X-ray diffraction and density measurements showed the possibility to manufacture a well controlled density and crystallinity glass-ceramic materials. (author)

The effect of lanthanum boride on the sintering, sintered microstructure and mechanical properties of titanium and titanium alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Y.F. [RMIT University, Centre for Additive Manufacturing, School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne VIC 3001 (Australia); Luo, S.D. [The University of Queensland, School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, Brisbane, QLD 4072 (Australia); Qian, M., E-mail: ma.qian@rmit.edu.au [RMIT University, Centre for Additive Manufacturing, School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne VIC 3001 (Australia)

2014-11-17

An addition of ≤0.5 wt% lanthanum boride (LaB{sub 6}) to powder metallurgy commercially pure Ti (CP-Ti), Ti–6Al–4V and Ti–10V–2Fe–3Al (all in wt%) resulted in improved sintered density, substantial microstructural refinement, and noticeably increased tensile elongation. The addition of LaB{sub 6} led to scavenging of both oxygen (O) and chlorine (Cl) from the titanium powder during sintering, evidenced by the formation of La{sub 2}O{sub 3} and LaCl{sub x}O{sub y}. The pinning effect of La{sub 2}O{sub 3}, LaCl{sub x}O{sub y} and TiB inhibited prior-β grain growth and resulted in subsequent smaller α-laths. The formation of nearly equiaxed α-Ti phase is partially attributed to the nucleation effect of α-Ti on TiB. The improved sintered density was caused by B from LaB{sub 6} rather than La, while excessive formation of La{sub 2}O{sub 3} and TiB with an addition of >0.5 wt% LaB{sub 6} resulted in a noticeable decrease in sintered density. The improved tensile elongation with an addition of ≤0.5 wt% LaB{sub 6} was mainly attributed to the scavenging of oxygen by LaB{sub 6}, partially assisted by the improved sintered density. However, an addition of >0.5 wt% LaB{sub 6} led to the formation of large La{sub 2}O{sub 3} aggregates and more brittle TiB whiskers and therefore decreased tensile elongation. Balanced scavenging of O is thus important. The optimal addition of LaB{sub 6} was 0.5 wt% but this may change depending on the powder size of the LaB{sub 6} to be used.

The effect of lanthanum boride on the sintering, sintered microstructure and mechanical properties of titanium and titanium alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Y.F.; Luo, S.D.; Qian, M.

2014-01-01

An addition of ≤0.5 wt% lanthanum boride (LaB 6 ) to powder metallurgy commercially pure Ti (CP-Ti), Ti–6Al–4V and Ti–10V–2Fe–3Al (all in wt%) resulted in improved sintered density, substantial microstructural refinement, and noticeably increased tensile elongation. The addition of LaB 6 led to scavenging of both oxygen (O) and chlorine (Cl) from the titanium powder during sintering, evidenced by the formation of La 2 O 3 and LaCl x O y . The pinning effect of La 2 O 3 , LaCl x O y and TiB inhibited prior-β grain growth and resulted in subsequent smaller α-laths. The formation of nearly equiaxed α-Ti phase is partially attributed to the nucleation effect of α-Ti on TiB. The improved sintered density was caused by B from LaB 6 rather than La, while excessive formation of La 2 O 3 and TiB with an addition of >0.5 wt% LaB 6 resulted in a noticeable decrease in sintered density. The improved tensile elongation with an addition of ≤0.5 wt% LaB 6 was mainly attributed to the scavenging of oxygen by LaB 6 , partially assisted by the improved sintered density. However, an addition of >0.5 wt% LaB 6 led to the formation of large La 2 O 3 aggregates and more brittle TiB whiskers and therefore decreased tensile elongation. Balanced scavenging of O is thus important. The optimal addition of LaB 6 was 0.5 wt% but this may change depending on the powder size of the LaB 6 to be used

Mechanisms of sintering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohan, Ashok; Soni, N.C.; Moorthy, V.K.

1980-01-01

The basic mechanisms by which the material moves during sintering have not only held a strange fascination but are also very important in determining the properties of the end product. Kuczynski's exponent method has been subsequently refined by several schools to make it increasingly reliable. There is now a fairly good understanding of mechanisms in some of the materials. However in others the issue is complicated by their basic nature. The problems of ambiguity in criterion and that of more than one mechanism being simultaneously operative have been tackled with dexterity by Ashby for drawing sintering mechanism diagrams. The method has been modified to give Relative Contribution Diagrams (RCD). These yield additional information and have been used for analysis. The main criticism against this is that it uses a very large number of rate equations and material properties, which can communicate their inaccuracies to the diagram. A case study of UO 2 was undertaken and it has been shown quantitatively that inaccuracies in a smaller number of properties only affect the diagrams to any significant extent. (auth.)

Uranium dioxide. Sintering test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

Description of a sintering method and of the equipment devoted to uranium dioxide powder caracterization and comparison between different samples. Determination of the curve giving specific volume versus pressure and micrographic examination of a pellet at medium pressure [fr

Designing a Tool System for Lowering Friction during the Ejection of In-Die Sintered Micro Gears

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emanuele Cannella

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The continuous improvements in micro-forging technologies generally involve process, material, and tool design. The field assisted sintering technique (FAST is a process that makes possible the manufacture of near-net-shape components in a closed-die setup. However, the final part quality is affected by the influence of friction during the ejection phase, caused by radial expansion of the compacted and sintered powder. This paper presents the development of a pre-stressed tool system for the manufacture of micro gears made of aluminum. By using the hot isostatic pressing (HIP sintering process and different combinations of process parameters, the designed tool system was compared to a similar tool system designed without a pre-stressing strategy. The comparison between the two tool systems was based on the ejection force and part fidelity. The ejection force was measured during the tests, while the part fidelity was documented using an optical microscope and computed tomography in order to obtain a multi-scale characterization. The results showed that the use of pre-stress reduced the porosity in the gear by 40% and improved the dimensional fidelity by more than 75% compared to gears produced without pre-stress.

Compacting and sintering of agglomerated ultradispersed powders ZrO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galakhov, A.V.; Vyazov, I.V.; Shevchenko, V.Ya.

1989-01-01

Results of investigation into the change of porous structure of shapings of submicron powders under compacting and its effect on the sintering kinetics are presented. ZrO 2 + 3%Y 2 O 3 (molar share) composition powders, produced by coprecipitation from Zr and Y mineral salts are used. Reduction of specific volume of interagglomerated pores is linked with the destruction of large soft agglomerates at the initial compacting shift. At this stage the filling of a part of interagglomerated pores with large agglomerate crushing products takes place. As a result of such a process a part of pores transfers from the class of interagglomerated to the class of intraagglomerated ones increasing their specific content in a compact

Effects of helium and deuterium irradiation on SPS sintered W–Ta composites at different temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mateus, R., E-mail: rmateus@ipfn.ist.utl.pt [Associação Euratom/IST, Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Dias, M. [ITN, Instituto Tecnológico e Nuclear, Estrada Nacional 10, 2686-953 Sacavém (Portugal); Lopes, J. [ITN, Instituto Tecnológico e Nuclear, Estrada Nacional 10, 2686-953 Sacavém (Portugal); ISEL, Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa, Rua Conselheiro Emídio Navarro, 1, 1959-007 Lisboa (Portugal); Rocha, J.; Catarino, N.; Franco, N. [ITN, Instituto Tecnológico e Nuclear, Estrada Nacional 10, 2686-953 Sacavém (Portugal); Livramento, V. [Associação Euratom/IST, Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); LNEG, Laboratório Nacional de Energia e Geologia, Estrada do Paço do Lumiar, 1649-038 Lisboa (Portugal); and others

2013-11-15

Energetic He{sup +} and D{sup +} ions were implanted into different W–Ta composites in order to investigate their stability under helium and deuterium irradiation. The results were compared with morphological and chemical modifications arising from exposure of pure W and Ta. Special attention was given to tantalum hydride (Ta{sub 2}H) formation due to its implications for tritium inventory. Three W–Ta composites with 10 and 20 at.% Ta were prepared from elemental W powder and Ta fibre or powder through low-energy ball milling in argon atmosphere. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) was used as the consolidation process in the temperature range from 1473 to 1873 K. The results obtained from pure elemental samples and composites are similar. However, Ta{sub 2}H is easily formed in pure Ta by using a pre-implantation stage of He{sup +}, whereas in W–Ta composites the same reaction is clearly reduced, and it can be inhibited by controlling the sintering temperature.

Effect of sintering temperature on the densification of B4C pellets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomide, R.G.; Durazzo, M.; Riella, H.G.

1990-01-01

Boron is largely used in several types of nuclear reactors control and safety systems. In the majority of these applications sintered boron carbide pellets are used. Near stoichiometric B 4 C hardly densifies during pressureless sintering. As a starting point of an overall program to produce > 70% TD B 4 C pellets pressing parameters have been studied for further study of the influence of sintering temperature in the densification of this ceramic material. Dilatometric analyses show that sintering starts at 1760 0 C for the F 1200 ESK - type boron carbide powders. Moreover, the sintering experiments show that up to 92% TD pellets can be obtained. (author) [pt

Properties of Mo-alloyed sintered manganese steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romanski, A.; Cias, A.

1998-01-01

Sintered alloy steels are needed for mostly PM structural parts. Powder metallurgy techniques provide a means of fabricating high quality steel parts with tailored mechanical properties. It is now possible to produce sintered steel parts with properties equal to an even superior to those of parts made by more traditional routes. Challenges arise both with the material selection and component fabrication. This work outlines the processing for high performance structural application. (author)

Direct laser sintering of metal powders: Mechanism, kinetics and microstructural features

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simchi, A.

2006-01-01

In the present work, the densification and microstructural evolution during direct laser sintering of metal powders were studied. Various ferrous powders including Fe, Fe-C, Fe-Cu, Fe-C-Cu-P, 316L stainless steel, and M2 high-speed steel were used. The empirical sintering rate data was related to the energy input of the laser beam according to the first order kinetics equation to establish a simple sintering model. The equation calculates the densification of metal powders during direct laser sintering process as a function of operating parameters including laser power, scan rate, layer thickness and scan line spacing. It was found that when melting/solidification approach is the mechanism of sintering, the densification of metals powders (D) can be expressed as an exponential function of laser specific energy input (ψ) as ln(1 - D) = -Kψ. The coefficient K is designated as 'densification coefficient'; a material dependent parameter that varies with chemical composition, powder particle size, and oxygen content of the powder material. The mechanism of particle bonding and microstructural features of the laser sintered powders are addressed

Effect of recycling blast furnace flue dust as pellets on the sintering performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

El-Hussiny N.A.

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The Egyptian Iron and Steel Company generates a great amount of blast furnace flue dust. The recovery of metals and carbon from this flue dust becomes a very important demand due to the increase of the price of coke breeze and the decrease of the primary source of metals. At the same time, it make the environment more safe by decreasing pollution. Introducing these dust fines in the sintering process proves to be very harmful for different operating parameters. Thus, this study aims at investigating the production of pellets resulting from these fines, using molasses as organic binder and its application in sintering of iron ore. The sintering experiments were performed using flue dust as pellets as a substitute of coke breeze. The results revealed that, sintering properties such as inter strength increases with using the flue dust pellets, while productivity of both the sinter machine and sinter machine at blast furnace yard decreases. Also the vertical velocity of the sinter machine and the weight loss during the reduction of produced the sinter by hydrogen decrease.

Blast furnace sinter performance improvement; Melhoria do rendimento de sinter de alto forno

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, Ricardo Baeta; Ferreira, Antonio Marcos M.; Perez, Jose Antonio; Nobrega, Carlos A.; Madeira Filho, Nelson Santos; Silva, Jose Coutinho da; Sampaio, Silvio; Larcher, Marcos A.; Silva Filho, Jose Maximo da; Nogueira, Carlos Alberto; Ramalho Filho, Wilson; Costa, Jose Luiz Lage da; Silva, Mauro Correa da [Companhia Siderurgica de Tubarao (CST), Serra, ES (Brazil)

1995-07-01

The article discusses the following issues of methodology maid and the accomplished actions aiming at the blast furnace sinter performance improvement: performance concept; performance historical evolution; problem boarding; influence factors; interpretation of the results; actions implementation; and economic benefit.

Research of fluidized bed cement clinker sintering system by pilot plant; Ryudosho cement shosei gijutsu no kaihatsu. 7

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sugiyama, T [Center for Coal Utilization, Japan, Tokyo (Japan); Sato, N; Hashimoto, I; Nakatsuka, M [The Cement Association of Japan, Tokyo (Japan)

1996-09-01

While a cement manufacturing process generally performs sintering by using a rotary kiln, a development work has been carried out as a subsidy operation of the Agency of Natural Resources and Energy on a cement sintering technology using a fluidized bed consisted of two furnaces: a jet flow bed granulating furnace and a fluidized bed sintering furnace. This paper reports the results of tests and researches performed during fiscal 1995. A plant with a scale of 20 ton-a-day production started in 1993 after having gone through bench scale tests. The year 1995 conducted by August its performance evaluation, review of the operation method and the safety criteria, and generalization of the tests. A multi-stage cyclone system has been employed in the preheating equipment for cement material powder. A number of improvements have been realized in the aspects of construction and operation, such as stabilization of dust collecting efficiency by employing a high-efficiency type cyclone, and operation with reduced pressure variation. Based on these results, a construction had been progressed in parallel on a new plant upscaled to 200 ton-a-day production. The new plant was completed in December, 1995. 9 figs., 8 tabs.

Model for the evaluation and prediction of production rate of sinter ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A model has been derived for evaluation and prediction of production rate of sinter machine operating on vertical mode. The quadratic model expressed as: P = 0.4395 V – 0.0526 V2 + 0.54, showed that the production rate of the sinter machine was dependent on the vertical sintering height. The maximum deviation of the ...

Preparation of silicon carbide/carbon fiber composites through high-temperature spark plasma sintering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ehsan Ghasali

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This study discusses the potentials of spark plasma sintering (SPS integrated with high temperature process that can enable sintering of SiC/Cf composites without any sintering aids. The random distribution of carbon fibers was obtained through mixing composite components in ethanol by using a shaker mill for 10 min. The corresponding sintering process was carried out at 1900 and 2200 °C with 50 MPa pressure applied at maximum temperature. The results showed that 89 ± 0.9 and 97 ± 0.8% of the theoretical density can be obtained for sintering temperatures of 1900 and 2200 °C, respectively. The densification curves were plotted to monitor sintering behavior with punch displacement changes. The appropriate bonding between SiC particles and carbon fibers was detected using FE-SEM for sample which was sintered at 2200 °C. The clear maximum in hardness (2992 ± 33 Vickers, bending strength (427 ± 26 MPa and fracture toughness (4.2 ± 0.3 MPa m1/2 were identified for sample sintered at 2200 °C. XRD investigations supposed that SiC and carbon were the only crystalline phases in both sintered samples.

Synthesis, sintering properties and thermal conductivity of uranium carbonitrides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolters, R.A.M.

1978-01-01

An introduction to the applications and chemistry of uranium carbonitrides is given including the potential use as a nuclear fuel. The powder synthesis of UC, UN and mixtures of UC and UN by a cyclic process is described. The correlation between the composition ratio UN/(UC+UN) in the final product and the parameters of the process is only determined qualitatively. Batch synthesis of a powder does not lead to an increase of the content of metallic impurities and oxygen. The impurity level is determined by that of the starting uranium metal and the thermal conductivity of the sintered compacts of uranium carbonitrides are determined via the measurement of the thermal diffusivity at 1100-1700 K. (Auth.)

Sintering and crystallization behavior of CaMgSi2O6-NaFeSi2O6 based glass-ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goel, Ashutosh; Kansal, Ishu; Ferrari, Anna Maria; Pascual, Maria J.; Barbieri, Luisa; Bondioli, Federica; Lancellotti, Isabella; Ribeiro, Manuel J.; Ferreira, Jose M. F.

2009-01-01

We report on the synthesis, sintering, and crystallization behaviors of a glass with a composition corresponding to 90 mol % CaMgSi 2 O 6 -10 mol % NaFeSi 2 O 6 . The investigated glass composition crystallized superficially immediately after casting of the melt and needs a high cooling rate (rapid quenching) in order to produce an amorphous glass. Differential thermal analysis and hot-stage microscopy were employed to investigate the glass forming ability, sintering behavior, relative nucleation rate, and crystallization behavior of the glass composition. The crystalline phase assemblage in the glass-ceramics was studied under nonisothermal heating conditions in the temperature range of 850-950 deg. C in both air and N 2 atmosphere. X-ray diffraction studies adjoined with the Rietveld-reference intensity ratio method were employed to quantify the amount of crystalline phases, while electron microscopy was used to shed some light on the microstructure of the resultant glass-ceramics. Well sintered glass-ceramics with diopside as the primary crystalline phase were obtained where the amount of diopside varied with the heating conditions.

Addition of niobia in alumina and its effects at its sintered microstructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomes, L.B.; Lima, M.M.O.; Pereira, A.S.; Bergmann, C.P.

2016-01-01

In this work, niobia was used as sintering additive of alumina in concentrations of 0.15, 0.5, 2 and 4 wt%. Homogenized powders was uniaxially pressed (200MPa) forming ceramic pellets with 10 mm diameter. The green bodies were sintered at 1400, 1500 and 1600°C for 60 minutes using a heating rate of 2,5°C.min -1 . After sintering, the specimens were polished using diamond paste with different particle sizes. The specimen's microstructure was analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and crystalline phases were determined by X-ray Diffraction (XRD). Results indicate that when niobia and alumina react they form AlNbO4 by liquid phase sintering. This phase is located among alumina grain. It was also verified that niobia addition promotes grain growth, acting as sintering agent, and this effect grows as niobia content and sintering temperature increase. (author)

Sintering of Multilayered Porous Structures: Part I-Constitutive Models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olevsky, Eugene; Tadesse Molla, Tesfaye; Frandsen, Henrik Lund

2013-01-01

Theoretical analyses of shrinkage and distortion kinetics during sintering of bilayered porous structures are carried out. The developed modeling framework is based on the continuum theory of sintering; it enables the direct assessment of the cofiring process outcomes and of the impact of process...

Design of safety monitor system for operation sintering furnace ME-06

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugeng Rianto; Triarjo; Djoko Kisworo; Agus Sartono

2013-01-01

Design of safety monitoring system for safety operation of sinter furnace ME-06 has been done. Parameters monitored during this operation include: temperature, gas pressure, flow rate of gas, voltage and current furnace. For sintering furnace temperature system that monitored were the temperature of the furnace temperature, the temperature of the cooling water system inlet and outlet, temperature of flow hydrogen gas inlet and outlet. For pressure system and flow rate gas sinter furnace which monitored the pressure and flow rate of hydrogen gas inlet and outlet. The system also monitors current and voltage applied to the sinter furnace heating system. Monitor system hardware consists of: the system temperature sensor, pressure, rate and data acquisition systems. While software systems using the labview driver interface that connects the hard and software systems. Function test results during sintering operation for setting the temperature 1700 °C sintering temperature increases the ramp function by 250 °C/hour average measurements obtained when the sintering time 1707.016 °C with a standard deviation of 0.38 °C. The maximum temperature of the hydrogen gas temperature 35.4 °C. The maximum temperature of the cooling water system 27.4 °C. The maximum pressure of 1,911 bar Gas Inlet and outlet of 0,051 bar. Maximum inlet gas flow 12.996 L / min and outlet 14.086 L / min. (author)

Liquid phase sintered SiC. Processing and transformation controlled microstructure tailoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V.A. Izhevskyi

2000-10-01

Full Text Available Microstructure development and phase formation processes during sintering of silicon carbide based materials with AlN-Y2O3, AlN-Yb2O3, and AlN-La2O3 sintering additives were investigated. Densification of the materials occurred by liquid-phase sintering mechanism. Proportion of alpha- and beta-SiC powders in the initial mixtures was a variable parameter, while the molar ratio of AlN/RE2O3, and the total amount of additives (10 vol. % were kept constant. Shrinkage behavior during sintering in interrelation with the starting composition of the material and the sintering atmosphere was investigated by high temperature dilatometry. Kinetics of b-SiC to a-SiC phase transformation during post-sintering heat treatment at temperatures 1900-1950 °C was studied, the degree of phase transformation being determined by quantitative x-ray analysis using internal standard technique. Evolution of microstructure resulting from beta-SiC to alpha-SiC transformation was followed up by scanning electron microscopy on polished and chemically etched samples. Transformation-controlled grain growth mechanism similar to the one observed for silicon nitride based ceramics was established. Possibility of in-situ platelet reinforced dense SiC-based ceramics fabrication with improved mechanical properties by means of sintering was shown.

Influence of Coke Ratio on the Sintering Behavior of High-Chromium Vanadium-Titanium Magnetite

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Songtao Yang

2017-06-01

Full Text Available High-chromium vanadium and titanium magnetite (HCVTM sinter has poor properties. The coke ratio has an important effect on the behavior of HCVTM sintering as it affects the mineral phases in the high-chromium vanadium and titanium sinter (HCVTS via changing the sintering temperature and atmosphere. In this work, the sintering behavior of HCVTM mixed with varying coke ratios was investigated through sintering pot tests, X-ray diffraction (XRD, gas chromatographic analysis, and mineral phase analysis. The results show that, with the increase of the coke ratio from 4.0% to 6.0%, leading to the increase of the combustion ratio of the flue gas, the vertical sintering rate and sinter productivity decrease. Meanwhile, with the change of the coke ratio, the content of magnetite, silicate, and perovskite increase, while the hematite and calcium ferrite decrease. In addition, the tumble strength and reduction ability of HCVTS decrease, and its degradation strength increase. It was found that the appropriate coke ratio for the sintering process was 5.0 wt %.

Techniques for ceramic sintering using microwave energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimrey, H.D.; Janney, M.A.; Becher, P.F.

1987-01-01

The use of microwave energy for ceramic sintering offers exciting new possibilities for materials processing. Based on experience gathered in microwave processing associated with the heating of fusion plasmas, we have developed hardware and methods for uniformly heating ceramic parts of large volume and irregular shape to temperatures in excess of 1600 0 C, in vacuum or pressurized atmosphere. Microwave processing at 28 GHz yields enhanced densification rates with a corresponding reduction in sintering temperatures. 6 refs

Preparation and mechanism of the sintered bricks produced from Yellow River silt and red mud

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He, Hongtao; Yue, Qinyan; Su, Yuan; Gao, Baoyu; Gao, Yue; Wang, Jingzhou; Yu, Hui

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► The best condition was red mud content of 40% and sintering at 1050 °C for 2 h. ► Bricks’ weight loss was caused by the removal of absorbed water and crystal water. ► Bricks’ sintering shrinkage depended on the sodium and iron compounds of red mud. ► Sintering can strengthen bricks and decrease leaching concentration of toxic metal. - Abstract: The preparation, characteristics and mechanisms of sintered bricks manufactured by Yellow River silt and red mud were studied. The sintering shrinkage, weight loss on ignition, water absorption and compressive strength were tested to determine the optimum preparation condition. Sintering mechanisms were discussed through linear regression analysis. Crystalline components of raw materials and bricks were analyzed by X-ray diffraction. Leaching toxicity of raw materials and bricks were measured according to sulphuric acid and nitric acid method. Radiation safety of the sintered bricks was characterized by calculating internal exposure index and external exposure index. The results showed that at the chosen best parameters (red mud content of 40%, sintering temperature of 1050 °C and sintering time of 2 h), the best characteristics of sintered bricks could be obtained. The weight loss on ignition of sintered bricks was principally caused by the removal of absorbed water and crystal water. The sintering shrinkage of sintered bricks mainly depended on sodium compounds and iron compounds of red mud. The sintering process made some components of raw materials transform into other crystals having better thermostability. Besides, the leaching toxicity and radioactivity index of sintered bricks produced under the optimum condition were all below standards.

Low sintering temperature glass waste forms for sequestering radioactive iodine

Science.gov (United States)

Nenoff, Tina M.; Krumhansl, James L.; Garino, Terry J.; Ockwig, Nathan W.

2012-09-11

Materials and methods of making low-sintering-temperature glass waste forms that sequester radioactive iodine in a strong and durable structure. First, the iodine is captured by an adsorbant, which forms an iodine-loaded material, e.g., AgI, AgI-zeolite, AgI-mordenite, Ag-silica aerogel, ZnI.sub.2, CuI, or Bi.sub.5O.sub.7I. Next, particles of the iodine-loaded material are mixed with powdered frits of low-sintering-temperature glasses (comprising various oxides of Si, B, Bi, Pb, and Zn), and then sintered at a relatively low temperature, ranging from 425.degree. C. to 550.degree. C. The sintering converts the mixed powders into a solid block of a glassy waste form, having low iodine leaching rates. The vitrified glassy waste form can contain as much as 60 wt % AgI. A preferred glass, having a sintering temperature of 500.degree. C. (below the silver iodide sublimation temperature of 500.degree. C.) was identified that contains oxides of boron, bismuth, and zinc, while containing essentially no lead or silicon.

Sintering uranium oxide using a preheating step

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jensen, N.J.; Nivas, Y.; Packard, D.R.

1977-01-01

Compacted pellets of uranium oxide or uranium oxide with one or more additives are heated in a kiln in a process having a preheating step, a sintering step, a reduction step, and a cooling step in a controlled atmosphere. The process is practiced to give a range of temperature and atmosphere conditions for obtaining optimum fluoride removal from the compacted pellets along with optimum sintering in a single process. The preheating step of this process is conducted in a temperature range of about 600 0 to about 900 0 C and the pellets are held for at least twenty min, and preferably about 60 min, in an atmosphere having a composition in the range of about 10 to about 75 vol % hydrogen with the balance being carbon dioxide. The sintering step is conducted at a temperature in the range of about 900 0 C to 1500 0 C in the presence of an atmosphere having a composition in the range of about 0.5 to about 90 vol % hydrogen with the balance being carbon dioxide. The reduction step reduces the oxygen to metal ratio of the pellets to a range of about 1.98 to 2.10:1 and this is accomplished by gradually cooling the pellets for about 30 to about 120 min from the temperature of the sintering step to about 1100 0 C in an atmosphere of about 10 to 90 vol % hydrogen with the balance being carbon dioxide. Thereafter the pellets are cooled to about 100 0 C under a protective atmosphere, and in one preferred practice the same atmosphere used in the reduction step is used in the cooling step. The preheating, sintering and reduction steps may also be conducted with their respective atmospheres having an initial additional component of water vapor and the water vapor can comprise up to about 20 vol %

Processing and Properties of Distaloy Sa Sintered Alloys with Boron and Carbon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karwan-Baczewska J.

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Prealloyed iron-based powders, manufactured in Höganäs Company, are used in the automotive parts industry. The properties and life time of such sintered parts depend, first of all, on their chemical composition, the production method of the prealloyed powder as well as on the technology of their consolidation and sintering. One of simpler and conventional methods aimed at increasing the density in sintered products is the process of activated sintering, performed, for example, by adding boron as elementary boron powder. Under this research project obtained were novel sintered materials, based on prealloyed and diffusion bonded powder, type: Distaloy SA, with the following chemical composition: Fe-1.75% Ni-1.5%Cu- 0.5%Mo with carbon (0.55%; 0.75% and boron (0.2%, 0.4% and 0.6%. Distaloy SA samples alloyed with carbon and boron were manufactured by mixing powders in a Turbula mixer, then compressed using a hydraulic press under a pressure of 600 MPa and sintered in a tube furnace at 1473 K, for a 60 minute time, in the hydrogen atmosphere. After the sintering process, there were performed density and porosity measurements as well as hardness tests and mechanical properties were carried out, too. Eventually, analyzed was the effect of boron upon density, hardness and mechanical properties of novel sintered construction parts made from Distaloy SA powder.

Fusibility and sintering characteristics of ash

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ots, A. A., E-mail: aots@sti.ttu.ee [Tallinn University of Technology (Estonia)

2012-03-15

The temperature characteristics of ash fusibility are studied for a wide range of bituminous and brown coals, lignites, and shales with ratios R{sub B/A} of their alkaline and acid components between 0.03 and 4. Acritical value of R{sub B/A} is found at which the fusion temperatures are minimal. The sintering properties of the ashes are determined by measuring the force required to fracture a cylindrical sample. It is found that the strength of the samples increases sharply at certain temperatures. The alkali metal content of the ashes has a strong effect on their sintering characteristics.

Synthesis and sintering of UN-UO{sub 2} fuel composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jaques, Brian J., E-mail: BrianJaques@BoiseState.edu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, 1910 University Dr., Boise, ID 83725 (United States); Center for Advanced Energy Studies, 995 University Blvd., Idaho Falls, ID 83401 (United States); Watkins, Jennifer; Croteau, Joseph R.; Alanko, Gordon A. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, 1910 University Dr., Boise, ID 83725 (United States); Center for Advanced Energy Studies, 995 University Blvd., Idaho Falls, ID 83401 (United States); Tyburska-Püschel, Beata [Department of Engineering Physics, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1500 Engineering Dr., Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Meyer, Mitch [Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID 83415 (United States); Xu, Peng; Lahoda, Edward J. [Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 15235 (United States); Butt, Darryl P., E-mail: DarrylButt@BoiseState.edu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, 1910 University Dr., Boise, ID 83725 (United States); Center for Advanced Energy Studies, 995 University Blvd., Idaho Falls, ID 83401 (United States)

2015-11-15

The design and development of an economical, accident tolerant fuel (ATF) for use in the current light water reactor (LWR) fleet is highly desirable for the future of nuclear power. Uranium mononitride has been identified as an alternative fuel with higher uranium density and thermal conductivity when compared to the benchmark, UO{sub 2}, which could also provide significant economic benefits. However, UN by itself reacts with water at reactor operating temperatures. In order to reduce its reactivity, the addition of UO{sub 2} to UN has been suggested. In order to avoid carbon impurities, UN was synthesized from elemental uranium using a hydride-dehydride-nitride thermal synthesis route prior to mixing with up to 10 wt% UO{sub 2} in a planetary ball mill. UN and UN – UO{sub 2} composite pellets were sintered in Ar – (0–1 at%) N{sub 2} to study the effects of nitrogen concentration on the evolved phases and microstructure. UN and UN-UO{sub 2} composite pellets were also sintered in Ar – 100 ppm N{sub 2} to assess the effects of temperature (1700–2000 °C) on the final grain morphology and phase concentration.

Process for the production of metal nitride sintered bodies and resultant silicon nitride and aluminum nitride sintered bodies

Science.gov (United States)

Yajima, S.; Omori, M.; Hayashi, J.; Kayano, H.; Hamano, M.

1983-01-01

A process for the manufacture of metal nitride sintered bodies, in particular, a process in which a mixture of metal nitrite powders is shaped and heated together with a binding agent is described. Of the metal nitrides Si3N4 and AIN were used especially frequently because of their excellent properties at high temperatures. The goal is to produce a process for metal nitride sintered bodies with high strength, high corrosion resistance, thermal shock resistance, thermal shock resistance, and avoidance of previously known faults.

Sintering and electrical properties of strontium-doped lanthanum manganite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tarrago, Diego Pereira; Sousa, Vania Caldas de [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (LABIOMAT/PPGEM/UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil). Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Engenharia de Minas, Metalurgica e de Materiais. Lab. de Biomateriais], Email: dptarrago@gmail.com; Moreno Buriel, Berta; Chinarro Martini, Eva; Jurado Egea, Jose Ramon [Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (ICV/CSIC), Madrid (Spain). Inst. de Ceramica y Vidrio; Malfatti, Celia de Fraga [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (LAPEC/PPGEM/UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil). Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Engenharia de Minas, Metalurgica e de Materiais. Lab. de Pesquisa em Corrosao

2010-07-01

Lanthanum strontium manganites (LSM) are potential materials for cathode applications in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) due to their good catalytic activity, chemical stability and compatibility with electrolyte materials in high temperatures. The sinterability of single phase La{sub 1-x}Sr{sub x}Mn{sub O3} (x=0.18) perovskite powders and the electrical properties of the resulting samples are analyzed in this study. Using a heating microscope, the powders were pressed and sintered at different pressures and temperatures, resulting in an open porosity of 33.36% when compacted at 125 MPa and sintered at 1200 degree C. Top and cross-section s canning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs revealed interconnected pores in the sintered body and, hence, a suitable microstructure for the application. The activation energy for conductance was 0.04 eV and the tested LSM bulk started to exhibit adequate electrical properties at about 500 degree C. (author)

Properties of Bulk Sintered Silver As a Function of Porosity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wereszczak, Andrew A [ORNL; Vuono, Daniel J [ORNL; Wang, Hsin [ORNL; Ferber, Mattison K [ORNL; Liang, Zhenxian [ORNL

2012-06-01

This report summarizes a study where various properties of bulk-sintered silver were investigated over a range of porosity. This work was conducted within the National Transportation Research Center's Power Device Packaging project that is part of the DOE Vehicle Technologies Advanced Power Electronics and Electric Motors Program. Sintered silver, as an interconnect material in power electronics, inherently has porosity in its produced structure because of the way it is made. Therefore, interest existed in this study to examine if that porosity affected electrical properties, thermal properties, and mechanical properties because any dependencies could affect the intended function (e.g., thermal transfer, mechanical stress relief, etc.) or reliability of that interconnect layer and alter how its performance is modeled. Disks of bulk-sintered silver were fabricated using different starting silver pastes and different sintering conditions to promote different amounts of porosity. Test coupons were harvested out of the disks to measure electrical resistivity and electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, coefficient of thermal expansion, elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio, and yield stress. The authors fully recognize that the microstructure of processed bulk silver coupons may indeed not be identical to the microstructure produced in thin (20-50 microns) layers of sintered silver. However, measuring these same properties with such a thin actual structure is very difficult, requires very specialized specimen preparation and unique testing instrumentation, is expensive, and has experimental shortfalls of its own, so the authors concluded that the herein measured responses using processed bulk sintered silver coupons would be sufficient to determine acceptable values of those properties. Almost all the investigated properties of bulk sintered silver changed with porosity content within a range of 3-38% porosity. Electrical resistivity, electrical conductivity

Microwave sintering of Ag-nanoparticle thin films on a polyimide substrate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fujii, S., E-mail: fujii.s.ap@m.titech.ac.jp [Department of Applied Chemistry, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8522 (Japan); Department of Information and Communication System Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Okinawa College, Nago, Okinawa 905-2192 (Japan); Kawamura, S.; Maitani, M. M.; Suzuki, E.; Wada, Y. [Department of Applied Chemistry, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8522 (Japan); Mochizuki, D. [Interdisciplinary Cluster for Cutting Edge Research, Center for Energy and Environmental Science, Shinshu University, Ueda, Nagano 386-8567 (Japan)

2015-12-15

Ag-nanoparticle thin films on a polyimide substrate were subjected to microwave sintering by use of a single-mode waveguide applicator. A two-step sintering process was employed. First, at low conductivities of the film, the film sample was placed at the site of the maximum electric field and subjected to microwave irradiation. Second, when the conductivity of the film increased, the film sample was placed at the site of the maximum magnetic field and again subjected to microwave irradiation. The microwave sintering process was completed within 1.5 min, which is significantly lower than the time required for the oven heating process. The resulting conductivity of the film, albeit only 30% of that of the bulk material, was seven times that of a film annealed at the same temperature in a furnace. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed that the nanoparticles underwent both grain necking and grain growth during microwave sintering. In addition, this sintering process was equivalent to the oven heating process performed at a 50 °C higher annealing temperature. An electromagnetic wave simulation and a heat transfer simulation of the microwave sintering process were performed to gain a thorough understanding of the process.

Microwave sintering of Ag-nanoparticle thin films on a polyimide substrate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Fujii

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Ag-nanoparticle thin films on a polyimide substrate were subjected to microwave sintering by use of a single-mode waveguide applicator. A two-step sintering process was employed. First, at low conductivities of the film, the film sample was placed at the site of the maximum electric field and subjected to microwave irradiation. Second, when the conductivity of the film increased, the film sample was placed at the site of the maximum magnetic field and again subjected to microwave irradiation. The microwave sintering process was completed within 1.5 min, which is significantly lower than the time required for the oven heating process. The resulting conductivity of the film, albeit only 30% of that of the bulk material, was seven times that of a film annealed at the same temperature in a furnace. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed that the nanoparticles underwent both grain necking and grain growth during microwave sintering. In addition, this sintering process was equivalent to the oven heating process performed at a 50 °C higher annealing temperature. An electromagnetic wave simulation and a heat transfer simulation of the microwave sintering process were performed to gain a thorough understanding of the process.

Effect of Ca-Fe oxides additives on NOx reduction in iron ore sintering

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Zhi-yuan Yu; Xiao-hui Fan; Min Gan; Xu-ling Chen

2017-01-01

As the emission control regulations get stricter, the NOx reduction in the sintering process becomes an important environmental concern owing to its role in the formation of photochemical smog and acid rain. The NOx emissions from the sintering machine account for 48% of total amount from the iron and steel industry.Thus, it is essential to reduce NOx emissions from the sintering machine, for the achievement of clean production of sinter.Ca-Fe oxides, serving as the main binding phase in the sinter, are therefore used as additives into the sintering mixture to reduce NOx emissions.The results show that the NOx re-duction ratio achieves 27.76% with 8% Ca-Fe oxides additives since the Ca-Fe oxides can advance the ig-nition and inhibit the nitrogen oxidation compared with the conventional condition.Meanwhile, the exist-ence of Ca-Fe oxides was beneficial to the sinter quality since they were typical low melting point com-pounds.The optimal mass fraction of Ca-Fe oxides additives should be less than 8% since the permeability of sintering bed was significantly decreased with a further increase of the Ca-Fe oxides fines, inhibiting the mineralization reaction of sintering mixture.Additionally, the appropriate particle size can be obtained when mixing an equal amount of Ca-Fe oxides additives of -0.5 mm and 0.5-3.0 mm in size.

Bonding evolution with sintering temperature in low alloyed steels with chromium

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fuentes-Pacheco L.

2009-01-01

Full Text Available At present, high performance PM steels for automotive applications follow a processing route that comprises die compaction of water-atomized powder, followed by sintering and secondary treatments, and finishing operations. This study examines Cr-alloyed sintered steels with two level of alloying. In chromium-alloyed steels, the surface oxide on the powder is of critical importance for developing the bonding between the particles during sintering. Reduction of this oxide depends mainly on three factors: temperature, dew point of the atmosphere, and carbothermic reduction provided by the added graphite. The transformation of the initial surface oxide evolves sequence as temperature increases during sintering, depending on the oxide composition. Carbothermic reduction is supposed to be the controlling mechanism, even when sintering in hydrogen-containing atmospheres. The effect of carbothermic reduction can be monitored by investigating the behavior of the specimens under tensile testing, and studying the resultant fracture surfaces.

Sintering process of Eu doped luminescent glass prepared from porous glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akai, T; Murakami, M; Yamashita, M; Okajima, T; Umesaki, N

2011-01-01

Eu doped high silica glass prepared by sintering porous glass exhibits blue luminescence with high quantum efficiency. In this work, we studied effects of sintering temperature on valance state of europium ion. To investigate a change of valance state of Eu, X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy measurements were carried out. Intensity of blue emission at around 430nm drastically increases when the sintering temperature is above 1000 deg. C. From XANES spectra, it is found that almost all the Eu exist as Eu 3+ in a samples sintered below 900 deg. C, while more than 70% of Eu exist as Eu 2+ in the sample sintered at 1050 deg. C and 1100 deg. C. The drastic change of oxidation state of europium ion between 900 and 1050 deg. C is discussed in relation to the structural change probed by infrared (IR) spectroscopy.

Predicting sintering deformation of ceramic film constrained by rigid substrate using anisotropic constitutive law

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Fan; Pan Jingzhe; Guillon, Olivier; Cocks, Alan

2010-01-01

Sintering of ceramic films on a solid substrate is an important technology for fabricating a range of products, including solid oxide fuel cells, micro-electronic PZT films and protective coatings. There is clear evidence that the constrained sintering process is anisotropic in nature. This paper presents a study of the constrained sintering deformation using an anisotropic constitutive law. The state of the material is described using the sintering strains rather than the relative density. In the limiting case of free sintering, the constitutive law reduces to a conventional isotropic constitutive law. The anisotropic constitutive law is used to calculate sintering deformation of a constrained film bonded to a rigid substrate and the compressive stress required in a sinter-forging experiment to achieve zero lateral shrinkage. The results are compared with experimental data in the literature. It is shown that the anisotropic constitutive law can capture the behaviour of the materials observed in the sintering experiments.

Method of manufacturing gadolinium oxide-incorporated nuclear fuel sintering products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komono, Akira; Seki, Makoto; Omori, Sadayuki.

1987-01-01

Purpose: To manufacture nuclear fuel sintering products excellent in burning property and mechanical property. Constitution: In the manufacturing step for nuclear fuel sintering products, specific metal oxides are added for promoting the growth of crystal grains in the sintering. Those metal oxides melted at a temperature lower than the sintering temperature of a mixture of nuclear fuel oxide powder and oxide power, or those metal oxides causing eutectic reaction are used as the metal oxide. Particularly, those compounds having oxygen atom - metal atom ratio (O/M) of not less than 2 are preferably used. As such metal oxides usable herein transition metal oxides, e.g., Nb 2 O 5 , TiO 2 , MoO 3 and WO 3 are preferred, with Nb 2 O 3 and TiO 2 being preferred particularly. (Seki, T.)

Effect of sintering process parameters on the properties of 3Y-PSZ ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chu, H L; Chen, R S; Wang, C L; Hwang, W S; Lee, H E; Sie, Y Y; Wang, M C

2013-01-01

The effect of sintering process parameters on the properties of 3 mol% yttria partially stability zirconia (3Y-PSZ) ceramics has been investigated. The relative density of the sintered pellet rapidly increases from 70.5 to 93.6% with rose temperature from 1473 to 1573 K. In addition, the relative density only slightly increases from 94.9 to 96.6 %, when rose sintered temperature from 1573 to 1773 K. This result shows that no significant influence on the densification behavior when sintering at 1573 to 1773 K for 2 h. The Vickers hardness and toughness also increase with the sintered temperature

Translucence in dental prosthesis based on zirconia ceramics: effect of the sintering parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, C.

2011-01-01

In this work the translucence of Zirconia dental ceramics was evaluated as function of sintering conditions (temperature and isothermal holding time). Samples with 15x15x1mm, were sintered at 1450 to 1600 deg C, with holding of 2h or 4h. Sintered samples were characterized by relative density, crystalline phases and microstructural aspects. Full density was obtained in samples sintered at 1530 and 1600 deg C, which presented higher grain sizes. Na increasing of translucence was observed in samples sintered at 1530 and 1600, correlating these properties with increasing of density and grain size of the samples. (author)

Investigation of rye straw ash sintering characteristics and the effect of additives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Liang; Skreiberg, Øyvind; Becidan, Michael; Li, Hailong

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Rye straw ash has a high sintering tendency at elevated temperatures. • Addition of additive increases melting temperature of the rye straw ash. • Kaolin addition leads to formation of silicates binding K in the ash. • Calcite and Ca-sludge promotes formation of silicates and phosphates in the ash. • Calcite addition restrains attaching and accumulation of rye straw ash melts. - Abstract: The understanding of ash sintering during combustion of agricultural residues is far from complete, because of the high heterogeneity of the content and composition of ash forming matters and the complex transformation of them. In order to make agricultural residues competitive fuels on the energy market, further research efforts are needed to investigate agricultural residues’ ash sintering behavior and propose relevant anti-sintering measures. The aim of this work was to investigate the ash characteristics of rye straw and effects of additives. Three additives were studied regarding their abilities to prevent and abate rye straw ash sintering. Standard ash fusion characterization and laboratory-scale sintering tests were performed on ashes from mixtures of rye straw and additives produced at 550 °C. Ash residues from sintering tests at higher temperatures were analyzed using a combination of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM–EDX). High sintering and melting tendency of the rye straw ash at elevated temperatures was observed. Severe sintering of the rye straw ash was attributed to the formation and fusion of low temperature K–silicates and K–phosphates with high K/Ca ratios. Among the three additives, calcite served the best one to mitigate sintering of the rye straw ash. Ca from the calcite promoted formation of high temperature silicates and calcium rich K–phosphates. In addition, calcite may hinder aggregating of ash melts and further formation of large ash slag. Therefore

Sintered nuclear fuel and method of preparing same

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abate-Daga, G.; Amato, I.

1975-01-01

A description is given of a method of preparing a nuclear fuel containing a consumable nuclear poison uniformly distributed therein in the form of coated micro-spheres of between 10 and 2,000 microns diameter, consisting in preparing sintered micro-spheres of the consumable poison, covering those micro-spheres with a protective coating and incorporating the coated micro-spheres into uranium dioxide powder, followed by sintering

Nano or micro grained alumina powder? A choose before sintering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Román, R.

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Two different wet routes have been used to synthesize alumina powders in order to compare the characteristics of the final product and its behaviour during sintering. The Homogeneous Precipitation (HP gives rise to nanoparticulated powders of about 2 nm. However, such particles quickly aggregate and grow with calcination temperature. The Polymerized Organic-Inorganic Synthesis (POI produces homogeneous particle size powders (about 1 micron after resin charring. The characterization of the powder surface is the basis of an efficient process control. Particle characterization parameters (morphology, crystallinity and degree of aggregation are characterized by different techniques, such as DTA/TG, IR, XRD, SEM and TEM, and compared between these synthesis methods. The results show the evolution from the amorphous to the corundum alumina phase for both processes and their ability for sintering, as well discuses the beneficial of nanoparticles obtained by HP during sintering.

Se han utilizado dos diferentes síntesis por vía húmeda para la preparación de polvos de alúmina con el fin de comparar las características de los productos finales y su comportamiento durante la sinterización. La Precipitación Homogénea (HP da lugar a polvos nanoparticulados de unos 2nm. Se observa sin embargo, como estas partículas se agregan rápidamente y crecen con la temperatura de calcinación. La Síntesis por Polimerización Orgánica-Inorgánica (POI produce polvos de tamaño de partícula homogéneo (en torno a 1 micra después de la descomposión de la resina. La caracterización de la superficie de los polvos es la base de un control eficiente del proceso. Los parámetros de caracterización de las partículas obtenidas (morfología, cristalinidad y grado de agregación se obtienen por diferentes técnicas como DTA/TG, IR, XRD, SEM y TEM, y se comparan entre estos métodos de síntesis. Los resultados muestran la evolución desde el amorfo a la fase

Microwave sintering of ceramic materials

Science.gov (United States)

Karayannis, V. G.

2016-11-01

In the present study, the potential of microwave irradiation as an innovative energy- efficient alternative to conventional heating technologies in ceramic manufacturing is reviewed, addressing the advantages/disadvantages, while also commenting on future applications of possible commercial interest. Ceramic materials have been extensively studied and used due to several advantages they exhibit. Sintering ceramics using microwave radiation, a novel technology widely employed in various fields, can be an efficient, economic and environmentally-friendlier approach, to improve the consolidation efficiency and reduce the processing cycle-time, in order to attain substantial energy and cost savings. Microwave sintering provides efficient internal heating, as energy is supplied directly and penetrates the material. Since energy transfer occurs at a molecular level, heat is generated throughout the material, thus avoiding significant temperature gradients between the surface and the interior, which are frequently encountered at high heating rates upon conventional sintering. Thus, rapid, volumetric and uniform heating of various raw materials and secondary resources for ceramic production is possible, with limited grain coarsening, leading to accelerated densification, and uniform and fine-grained microstructures, with enhanced mechanical performance. This is particularly important for manufacturing large-size ceramic products of quality, and also for specialty ceramic materials such as bioceramics and electroceramics. Critical parameters for the process optimization, including the electromagnetic field distribution, microwave-material interaction, heat transfer mechanisms and material transformations, should be taken into consideration.

Study on Sintering Mechanism of Stainless Steel Fiber Felts by X-ray Computed Tomography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun Ma

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The microstructure evolution of Fe-17 wt. % Cr-12 wt. % Ni-2 wt. % Mo stainless steel fiber felts during the fast sintering process was investigated by the synchrotron radiation X-ray computed tomography technique. The equation of dynamics of stable inter-fiber neck growth was established for the first time based on the geometry model of sintering joints of two fibers and Kucsynski’s two-sphere model. The specific evolutions of different kinds of sintering joints were observed in the three-dimensional images. The sintering mechanisms during sintering were proposed as plastic flow and grain boundary diffusion, the former leading to a quick growth of sintering joints.

Solidification of high level liquid waste (HLLW) into ceramics by sintering process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masuda, Sumio; Oguino, Naohiko; Tsunoda, Naomi; O-oka, Kazuo; Ohta, Takao.

1979-01-01

One of the alternatives to vitrified solid which is acceptable and well characterized for storing radioactive HLLW with desirable long-term stability is ceramics. On the other hand, the solidification process of highly radioactive wastes should be simple and suitable for continuous production. On the above described basis, the authors have made preliminary study on the production of sintered ceramics by the addition of several oxides to HLLW. The simulated waste and additive oxides were pressed in a mold to make the preforms of 50 mm diameter and 10 to 15 mm thick. The preforms were then normally sintered at temperature from 1000 to 1400 deg C for 2 to 4 hours. The characterization of the sintered solids revealed the following facts. (1) X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the expected crystals were formed by normal-sintering as well as by hot-pressing. (2) The bulk density of the ceramics by normal-sintering was around 90 to 95% of the assumed theoretical values. (3) The leach-rate of the solids was affected by the bulk density. (4) Other properties of the solids, such as thermal expansion or thermal conductivity, are dominantly determined by those of main crystals in the solids. Sintering process is generally simple and productive as far as normal sintering is concerned. However, hot-pressing is an intermittent and time consuming process. From this fact, the authors intended to adopt the normal sintering process for the ceramic solidification of high level liquid wastes. (Wakatsuki, Y.)

LOW TEMPERATURE SINTERING OF ALUMINA BIOCERAMIC UNDER NORMAL PRESSURE

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2000-01-01

Superfine alumina powder with high purity (mean particle size is less than 0. 35μm) were used as main starting material for sintering alumina ceramic. A multiple additive MgO-ZrO2 (Y2O3) was homogeneously added into the batch by the chemical coprecipitation method. Sintering of alumina bioceramic at low tempera ture (＜1600C) was achieved resulting in a dense and high strength alumina ceramic with the bending strength up to 382 MPa and an improved fracture toughness. Mechanism that the multiple additives promote the sintering of alumina ceramic is discussed on the base of XRD and SEM analysis.

Cleanable sintered metal filters in hot off-gas systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schurr, G.A.

1981-01-01

Filters with sintered metal elements, arranged as tube bundles with backflush air cleaning, are the equivalent of bag filters for high-temperature, harsh environments. They are virtually the only alternative for high-temperature off-gas systems where a renewable, highly efficient particle trap is required. Tests were conducted which show that the sintered metal elements installed in a filter system provide effective powder collection in high-temperature atmospheres over thousands of cleaning cycles. Such a sintered metal filter system is now installed on the experimental defense waste calciner at the Savannah River Laboratory. The experimental results included in this paper were used as the basis for its design

Microwave-assisted sintering of non-stoichiometric strontium bismuth niobate ceramic: Structural and dielectric properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, Rajveer [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110007 (India); Department of Physics, Atmaram Sanatan Dharma College, University of Delhi, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi 110021 (India); Luthra, Vandna [Department of Physics, Gargi College, University of Delhi, Siri Fort Road, New Delhi 110049 (India); Tandon, R.P., E-mail: ram_tandon@hotmail.com [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110007 (India)

2016-11-01

In recent years the microwave sintering has been utilized for the synthesis of materials in enhancement of the properties. In this paper strontium bismuth niobate (Sr{sub 0.8}Bi{sub 2.2}Nb{sub 2}O{sub 9}:SBN) bulk ceramic has been synthesized by microwave reactive sintering and conventional heating techniques. A relative density of 99.6% has been achieved for microwave sintered SBN, which is higher than that of (98.81%) conventionally sintered SBN. The phase formation of SBN synthesized by both processes has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The surface morphology of SBN was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The microstructure was found to be more uniform in case of SBN sintered by microwave sintering. The dielectric properties of SBN were studied as a function of frequency in the temperature range of 30–500 °C. Both the samples synthesized by two different processes were found to follow Curie–Weiss law above the transition temperature. The Curie temperature was found to be higher for microwave sintered SBN. The dielectric constant and the transition temperature were observed to be higher for SBN ceramic synthesized by microwave sintering technique. The ac and dc activation energy values were also found to be higher for microwave sintered SBN as compared to conventional sintering technique.

High efficiency particulate removal with sintered metal filters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirstein, B.E.; Paplawsky, W.J.; Pence, D.T.; Hedahl, T.G.

1981-01-01

Because of their particle removal efficiencies and durability, sintered metal filters have been chosen for HEPA filter protection in the off-gas treatment system for the proposed Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Transuranic Waste Treatment Facility. Process evaluation of sintered metal filters indicated a lack of sufficient process design data to assume trouble-free operation. Subsequent pilot-scale testing was performed with fly ash as the test particulate. The test results showed that the sintered metal filters can have an efficiency greater than 0.9999999 for the specific test conditions used. Stable pressure drop characteristics were observed in pulsed and reversed flow blowback modes of operation. Over 4900 hours of operation were obtained with operating conditions ranging up to approximately 90 0 C and 24 volume percent water vapor in the gas stream

High efficiency particulate removal with sintered metal filters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirstein, B.E.; Paplawsky, W.J.; Pence, D.T.; Hedahl, T.G.

1981-01-01

Because of their particle removal efficiencies and durability, sintered metal filters have been chosen for high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter protection in the off-gas treatment system for the proposed Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Transuranic Waste Treatment Facility. Process evaluation of sintered metal filters indicated a lack of sufficient process design data to ensure trouble-free operation. Subsequence pilot scale testing was performed with flyash as the test particulate. The test results showed that the sintered metal filters can have an efficiency greater than 0.9999999 for the specific test conditions used. Stable pressure drop characteristics were observed in pulsed and reversed flow blowback modes of operation. Over 4900 hours of operation were obtained with operating conditions ranging up to approximately 90 0 C and 24 vol % water vapor in the gas stream

Thermoelectric Coolers with Sintered Silver Interconnects

Science.gov (United States)

Kähler, Julian; Stranz, Andrej; Waag, Andreas; Peiner, Erwin

2014-06-01

The fabrication and performance of a sintered Peltier cooler (SPC) based on bismuth telluride with sintered silver interconnects are described. Miniature SPC modules with a footprint of 20 mm2 were assembled using pick-and-place pressure-assisted silver sintering at low pressure (5.5 N/mm2) and moderate temperature (250°C to 270°C). A modified flip-chip bonder combined with screen/stencil printing for paste transfer was used for the pick-and-place process, enabling high positioning accuracy, easy handling of the tiny bismuth telluride pellets, and immediate visual process control. A specific contact resistance of (1.4 ± 0.1) × 10-5 Ω cm2 was found, which is in the range of values reported for high-temperature solder interconnects of bismuth telluride pellets. The realized SPCs were evaluated from room temperature to 300°C, considerably outperforming the operating temperature range of standard commercial Peltier coolers. Temperature cycling capability was investigated from 100°C to 235°C over more than 200 h, i.e., 850 cycles, during which no degradation of module resistance or cooling performance occurred.

Sintered stabilized zirconia microstructure and conductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernard, Herve.

1981-04-01

The elaboration of a stabilized zirconia powder which sinters at 1300 0 C and the influence of the sintered polycristal microstructure on its ionic conductivity have been studied. Among three investigated powder preparation processes, coprecipitation in an ammoniacal solution was chosen. After sintering at 1300 0 C, the pellet density was higher than 93% of the theoretical density. It even approached up to 98% TD with addition of less than 0,5 mole % Al 2 O 3 to the initial powder. The overall electrolyte conductivity and the inter and intragranular contributions have been determined by complex impedance spectroscopy. ZrO 2 -Y 2 O 3 solid solution conductivity was scarcely improved by Y 2 O 3 exchange with Yb 2 O 3 or Gd 2 O 3 . This conductivity greatly increases with grain size, its improvement with decreasing porosity, which has been quantified, is less sensible. Moreover, two original properties were noticed: small amounts of Al 2 O 3 and quenching greatly enhanced the overall conductivity. At temperatures below 500 0 C, grain boundaries only insured a partial migration of conductive ions. A parallel type electrical equivalent circuit suited well with this blocking effect [fr

Optimization of the sintering atmosphere for high-density hydroxyapatite–carbon nanotube composites

Science.gov (United States)

White, Ashley A.; Kinloch, Ian A.; Windle, Alan H.; Best, Serena M.

2010-01-01

Hydroxyapatite–carbon nanotube (HA–CNT) composites have the potential for improved mechanical properties over HA for use in bone graft applications. Finding an appropriate sintering atmosphere for this composite presents a dilemma, as HA requires water in the sintering atmosphere to remain phase pure and well hydroxylated, yet CNTs oxidize at the high temperatures required for sintering. The purpose of this study was to optimize the atmosphere for sintering these composites. While the reaction between carbon and water to form carbon monoxide and hydrogen at high temperatures (known as the ‘water–gas reaction’) would seem to present a problem for sintering these composites, Le Chatelier's principle suggests this reaction can be suppressed by increasing the concentration of carbon monoxide and hydrogen relative to the concentration of carbon and water, so as to retain the CNTs and keep the HA's structure intact. Eight sintering atmospheres were investigated, including standard atmospheres (such as air and wet Ar), as well as atmospheres based on the water–gas reaction. It was found that sintering in an atmosphere of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, with a small amount of water added, resulted in an optimal combination of phase purity, hydroxylation, CNT retention and density. PMID:20573629

Preparation and electromagnetic properties of low-temperature sintered ferroelectric-ferrite composite ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yue Zhenxing; Chen Shaofeng; Qi Xiwei; Gui Zhilun; Li Longtu

2004-01-01

For the purpose of multilayer chip EMI filters, the new ferroelectric-ferrite composite ceramics were prepared by mixing PMZNT relaxor ferroelectric powder with composition of 0.85Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 -0.1Pb(Ni 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 -0.05PbTiO 3 and NiCuZn ferrite powder with composition of (Ni 0.20 Cu 0.20 Zn 0.60 )O(Fe 2 O 3 ) 0.97 at low sintering temperatures. A small amount of Bi 2 O 3 was added to low sintering temperature. Consequently, the dense composite ceramics were obtained at relative low sintering temperatures, which were lower than 940 deg. C. The X-ray diffractometer (XRD) identifications showed that the sintered ceramics retained the presence of distinct ferroelectric and ferrite phases. The sintering studies and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations revealed that the co-existed two phases affect the sintering behavior and grain growth of components. The electromagnetic properties, such as dielectric constant and initial permeability, change continuously between those of two components. Thus, the low-temperature sintered ferroelectric-ferrite composite ceramics with tunable electromagnetic properties were prepared by adjusting the relative content of two components. These materials can be used for multilayer chip EMI filters with various properties

Initial results of a high-power microwave sintering experiment at ORNL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimrey, H.D.; White, T.L.; Bigelow, T.S.; Becher, P.F.

1986-01-01

Experiments have recently begun at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop microwave sintering techniques suitable for large ceramic parts. Microwave sintering offers the advantages of faster heating rates, more uniform heating, and greater energy efficiency than conventional sintering techniques. We are using 28-GHz, 200-kW cw gyrotrons as the heating source. An untuned cavity is used as the applicator to eliminate geometry sensitivity in coupling efficiency

Concentrated solar energy used for sintering magnesium titanates for electronic applications

Science.gov (United States)

Apostol, Irina; Rodríguez, Jose; Cañadas, Inmaculada; Galindo, Jose; Mendez, Senen Lanceros; de Abreu Martins, Pedro Libȃnio; Cunha, Luis; Saravanan, Kandasamy Venkata

2018-04-01

Solar energy is an important renewable source of energy with many advantages: it is unlimited, clean and free. The main objective of this work was to sinter magnesium titanate ceramics in a solar furnace using concentrated solar energy, which is a novel and original process. The direct conversion of solar power into high temperature makes this process simple, feasible and ecologically viable/environmentally sustainable. We performed the solar sintering experiments at Plataforma Solar de Almeria-CIEMAT, Spain. This process takes place in a vertical axis solar furnace (SF5-5 kW) hosting a mobile flat mirror heliostat, a fixed parabolic mirror concentrator, an attenuator and a test table the concentrator focus. We sintered (MgO)0.63(TiO2)0.37, (MgO)0.49(TiO2)0.51, (MgO)0.50(TiO2)0.50 ceramics samples in air at about 1100 °C for a duration of 16 min, 1 h, 2 h and 3 h in the solar furnace. The MgO/TiO2 ratio and the dwell time was varied in order to obtain phase pure MgTiO3 ceramic. We obtained a pure MgTiO3 geikielite phase by solar sintering of (MgO)0.63(TiO2)0.37 samples at 1100 °C (16 min-3 h). Samples of (MgO)0.63(TiO2)0.37, solar sintered at 1100 °C for 3 h, resulted in well-sintered, non-porous samples with good density (3.46 g/cm3). The sintered samples were analyzed by XRD for phase determination. The grain and surface morphology was observed using SEM. Electrical measurements were carried out on solar sintered samples. The effect of processing parameters on microstructure and dielectric properties were investigated and is presented.

Hexagonal OsB{sub 2}: Sintering, microstructure and mechanical properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xie, Zhilin [Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816 (United States); Lugovy, Mykola [Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816 (United States); Institute for Problems of Materials Science, 3 Krzhizhanivskii Str., Kyiv 03142 (Ukraine); Orlovskaya, Nina, E-mail: Nina.Orlovskaya@ucf.edu [Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816 (United States); Graule, Thomas; Kuebler, Jakob [Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Laboratory for High Performance Ceramics, CH-8600 Dubendorf (Switzerland); Mueller, Martin [Laboratory of Mechanical Metallurgy, EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne (Switzerland); Gao, Huili [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A& M University, College Station, TX 77843 (United States); Radovic, Miladin [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A& M University, College Station, TX 77843 (United States); Cullen, David A. [Materials Science & Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States)

2015-06-15

Highlights: • ReB{sub 2}-type hexagonal OsB{sub 2} powder has been densified by spark plasma sintering. • The sintered OsB{sub 2} contains ∼80 wt.% hexagonal and ∼20 wt.% orthorhombic phases. • The average grain size of the sintered OsB{sub 2} sample was 0.56 ± 0.26 μm. • H = 31 ± 9 GPa and E = 574 ± 112 GPa measured by nanoindentation. - Abstract: The metastable high pressure ReB{sub 2}-type hexagonal OsB{sub 2} bulk ceramics was produced by spark plasma sintering. The phase composition, microstructure, and mechanical behavior of the sintered OsB{sub 2} were studied by X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, TEM, SEM, EDS, and nanoindentation. The produced ceramics was rather porous and contained a mixture of hexagonal (∼80 wt.%) and orthorhombic (∼20 wt.%) phases as identified by X-ray diffraction and EBSD analysis. Two boron-rich phases, which do not contain Os, were also identified by TEM and SEM/EDS analysis. Nanoindentation measurements yielded a hardness of 31 ± 9 GPa and Young’s modulus of 574 ± 112 GPa, indicating that the material is rather hard and very stiff; however, it is very prone to crack formation and propagation, which is indicative of a very brittle nature of this material. Improvements in the sintering regime are required in order to produce dense, homogeneous and single phase hexagonal OsB{sub 2} bulk ceramics.

The Final Stage of Gravitationally Collapsed Thick Matter Layers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piero Nicolini

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In the presence of a minimal length, physical objects cannot collapse to an infinite density, singular, matter point. In this paper, we consider the possible final stage of the gravitational collapse of “thick” matter layers. The energy momentum tensor we choose to model these shell-like objects is a proper modification of the source for “noncommutative geometry inspired,” regular black holes. By using higher momenta of Gaussian distribution to localize matter at finite distance from the origin, we obtain new solutions of the Einstein equation which smoothly interpolates between Minkowski’s geometry near the center of the shell and Schwarzschild’s spacetime far away from the matter layer. The metric is curvature singularity free. Black hole type solutions exist only for “heavy” shells; that is, M ≥Me, where Me is the mass of the extremal configuration. We determine the Hawking temperature and a modified area law taking into account the extended nature of the source.

Highly transparent Tb3Al5O12 magneto-optical ceramics sintered from co-precipitated powders with sintering aids

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Jiawei; Pan, Yubai; Xie, Tengfei; Kou, Huamin; Li, Jiang

2018-04-01

Highly transparent terbium aluminum garnet (Tb3Al5O12, TAG) magneto-optical ceramics were fabricated from co-precipitated nanopowders with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as sintering aid by vacuum sintering combined with hot isostatic pressing (HIP) post-treatment. The ball milled TAG powder shows better dispersity than the as-synthesized powder, and its average particle size is about 80 nm. For the ceramic sample pre-sintered at 1720 °C for 20 h with HIP post-treated at 1700 °C for 3 h, the in-line transmittance exceeds 76% in the region of 400-1580nm (except the absorption band), reaching a maximum value of 81.8% at the wavelength of 1390 nm. The microstructure of the TAG ceramic is homogeneous and its average grain size is approximately 19.7 μm. The Verdet constant of the sample is calculated to be -182.7 rad·T-1·m-1 at room temperature.

Spark Plasma Sintering constrained process parameters of sintered silver paste for connection in power electronic modules: Microstructure, mechanical and thermal properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alayli, N. [Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Laboratoire des Sciences des Procédés et des Matériaux, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Propre de Recherche 3407, 99 avenue Jean Baptiste Clément, F-93430 Villetaneuse (France); Université de Versailles-Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Sorbonne Universités, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Université Paris 06, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/INSU, Laboratoire Atmosphères Milieux Observations Spatiales-IPSL, Quartier des Garennes, 11 Boulevard d' Alembert, F-78280 Guyancourt (France); Schoenstein, F., E-mail: frederic.schoenstein@univ-paris13.fr [Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Laboratoire des Sciences des Procédés et des Matériaux, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Propre de Recherche 3407, 99 avenue Jean Baptiste Clément, F-93430 Villetaneuse (France); Girard, A. [Office National d' Étude et de Recherches Aérospatiales, Laboratoire d' Étude des Microstructures, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 104, 29 avenue de la Division Leclerc, F-92322 Châtillon (France); and others

2014-11-14

Processing parameters of Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) technique were constrained to process nano sized silver particles bound in a paste for interconnection in power electronic devices. A novel strategy combining debinding step and consolidation processes (SPS) in order to elaborate nano-structured silver bulk material is investigated. Optimum parameters were sought for industrial power electronics packaging from the microstructural and morphological properties of the sintered material. The latter was studied by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) to determine the density and the grain size of crystallites. Two types of samples, termed S1 (bulk) and S2 (multilayer) were elaborated and characterized. They are homogeneous with a low degree of porosity and a good adhesion to the substrate and the process parameters are compatible with industrial constraints. As the experimental results show, the mean crystallite size is between 60 nm and 790 nm with a density between 50% and 92% resulting in mechanical and thermal properties that are better than that of lead free solder. The best SPS sintering parameters, the applied pressure, the temperature and the processing time were determined as being 3 MPa, 300 °C and 1 min respectively when the desizing time of the preprocessing step was kept below 5 min at 150 °C. Using these processing parameters, acceptable for automotive packaging industry, a semi-conductor power chip was successfully connected to a metalized substrate by sintered silver with thermal and electrical properties better than those of current solders and with thermomechanical properties allowing absorption of thermoplastic stresses. - Highlights: • The sintered silver joints have nanometric structure. • The grain growth was controlled by the SPS sintering parameters. • New connection material improve thermal and electrical properties of current solders. • Interconnection's plastic strain can absorb thermo

Field assisted sintering of refractory carbide ceramics and fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composites

Science.gov (United States)

Gephart, Sean

The sintering behaviors of silicon carbide (SiC) and boron carbide (B4C) based materials were investigated using an emerging sintering technology known as field assisted sintering technology (FAST), also known as spark plasma sintering (SPS) and pulse electric current sintering (PECS). Sintering by FAST utilizes high density electric current, uniaxial pressure, and relatively high heating rate compared to conventional sintering techniques. This effort investigated issues of scaling from laboratory FAST system (25 ton capacity) to industrial FAST system (250 ton capacity), as well as exploring the difference in sintering behavior of single phase B4C and SiC using FAST and conventional sintering techniques including hot-pressing (HP) and pressure-less sintering (PL). Materials were analyzed for mechanical and bulk properties, including characterization of density, hardness, fracture toughness, fracture (bend) strength, elastic modulus and microstructure. A parallel investigation was conducted in the development of ceramic matrix composites (CMC) using SiC powder impregnation of fiber compacts followed by FAST sintering. The FAST technique was used to sinter several B4C and SiC materials to near theoretical density. Preliminary efforts established optimized sintering temperatures using the smaller 25 ton laboratory unit, targeting a sample size of 40 mm diameter and 8 mm thickness. Then the same B4C and SiC materials were sintered by the larger 250 ton industrial FAST system, a HP system, and PL sintering system with a targeted dense material geometry of 4 x 4 x 0.315 inches3 (101.6 x 101.6 x 8 mm3). The resulting samples were studied to determine if the sintering dynamics and/or the resulting material properties were influenced by the sintering technique employed. This study determined that FAST sintered ceramic materials resulted in consistently higher averaged values for mechanical properties as well as smaller grain size when compared to conventionally sintered

Effect of different sintering aids on thermo-mechanical properties and oxidation of SiC fibers - Reinforced ZrB{sub 2} composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sciti, D., E-mail: diletta.sciti@istec.cnr.it [ISTEC-CNR, Institute of Science and Technology for Ceramics, National Research Council, Via Granarolo 64, I-48018 Faenza (Italy); Silvestroni, L. [ISTEC-CNR, Institute of Science and Technology for Ceramics, National Research Council, Via Granarolo 64, I-48018 Faenza (Italy); Saccone, G.; Alfano, D. [CIRA, Italian Aerospace Research Center, 81043 Capua (Italy)

2013-01-15

Reinforced zirconium diboride composites containing 15 vol% of Hi Nicalon SiC chopped fibers were hot pressed with addition of various sintering additives, Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}, ZrSi{sub 2} or MoSi{sub 2}. Depending on the sintering aid, different densification temperatures were set in the range 1650-1750 Degree-Sign C. Temperature and additive strongly influenced the matrix/fiber interface, which in turn had a strong impact on the mechanical properties and the oxidation behavior at 1650 Degree-Sign C. Even the workability, performed either by conventional machining or electro discharge machining, varied depending on the sintering additive and the secondary phases formed in the system. The system containing Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} turned out to have the highest mechanical properties, but intermediate oxidation resistance; the composite containing ZrSi{sub 2} had the lowest sintering temperature, but displayed the worst oxidation resistance, and finally the composite containing MoSi{sub 2} showed intermediate mechanical properties, but the highest oxidation resistance and lowest degree of damage upon machining. Preliminary measurements of thermal shock resistance by the water quenching method were also carried out. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We produced SiC fibers reinforced ZrB{sub 2} using different sintering aids. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The sintering additives affected properties, oxidation and machinability. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The system containing Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} had the highest mechanical properties. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The composite containing MoSi{sub 2} had the highest oxidation resistance. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer ZrB{sub 2}-SiC fibers have higher thermal shock resistance than ZrB{sub 2}-SiC particles.

Developing and testing a vertical sintering furnace for remote nuclear applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nesbitt, J.F.; Ryer, C.M.

1980-01-01

Horizontal-type furnaces used to sinter fuel pellets on a production basis are large and thus impractical for remote applications. However, research has shown that vertical-type furnaces are adaptable for use and are cheaper to operate and maintain. In 1979, Pacific Northwest Laboratory, working under the auspices of the Department of Energy's Fuel Refabrication and Development (FRAD) Program, began developing an advanced concept for a remotely operated furnace designed specifically to sinter nuclear fuel pellets. The FRAD Program at PNL ended before the sintering of nuclear fuels could be completely verified. However during 1979, PNL performed a sufficient number and variety of tests to establish that nuclear fuel pellets can be sintered in a vertical furnace

The influence of green microstructure and sintering parameters on precipitation process during copper-nickel-zinc ferrites sintering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barba, Antonio

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Microstructural changes that occur during heat treatment of copper-nickel-zinc ferrites have been studied. The process of precipitation of the two types of crystals that occur during the sintering process has been analyzed. It is found that this process depends on dry relative density of the press specimens and on the following sintering parameters: sintering temperature, sintering time and cooling rate of the thermal cycle. Crystal precipitates characterization have been done by scanning electron microscopy (SEM, energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS. These techniques have allowed to determine the nature of these crystals, which in this case correspond to zinc and copper oxides. It has been used two chemical reactions to explain the bulk precipitation and subsequent re-dissolution of these crystal precipitates during sintering.En este trabajo se han estudiado los cambios microestructurales que se producen durante el tratamiento térmico de las ferritas de cobre-níquel-cinc y se ha analizado el proceso de precipitación de los dos tipos de cristales que aparecen durante el proceso de sinterización. Se ha encontrado que este proceso depende de la densidad relativa en seco de las muestras compactadas y de las siguientes variables de la etapa de sinterización: temperatura y tiempo de sinterización y velocidad de enfriamiento. La caracterización de los cristales precipitados se ha realizado por microscopía electrónica de barrido (MEB, microanálisis por dispersión de energía de rayos X (EDX, difracción de rayos X (DRX, y espectroscopía de fotoelectrones de rayos X (XPS. Estas técnicas han permitido determinar la naturaleza de estos cristales, que en este caso corresponden a los óxidos de cinc y de cobre. Se han propuesto dos reacciones químicas que permiten explicar el proceso de precipitación y la posterior re-disolución de estos cristales precipitados durante la

Synthesis and characterization of Ag nanoparticles decorated mesoporous sintered activated carbon with antibacterial and adsorptive properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Wenxia; Xiao, Kaijun, E-mail: fekjxiao@scut.edu.cn; He, Tinglin; Zhu, Liang, E-mail: zhuliang@scut.edu.cn

2015-10-25

In this study, the sliver nanoparticles (AgNPs) immobilized on the sintered activated carbon (Ag/SAC) were synthesized by the ultrasonic-assisted impregnation method and were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nitrogen adsorption. SEM showed that the AgNPs were well embedded in the SAC and immersion time had an important influence on final morphologies of AgNPs. Longer immersing duration caused significant aggregation of the AgNPs. The XRD data revealed that the successful synthesis of AgNPs on the SAC and immobilizing AgNPs on sintered active carbon did not change the crystalline degree of SAC. Texture characteristics were determined by analysis of the N{sub 2}/77 K isotherms. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Ag/SAC against Escherichia coli (DH5α) and Staphyloccocus aureus (ATCC 29213) was evaluated by a broth dilution method. MICs such as 5 mg/L (against E. coli) and 10 mg/L (against S. aureus) suggest that Ag/SAC have predominant antibacterial activity compared to active carbon. - Highlights: • Sintered active carbon (SAC) was coated with Ag via a facile approach. • The Ag/SAC exhibit good adsorption properties and excellent antibacterial effects. • The Ag/SAC was durable and stable in the application of water purification.

Process for preparing sintered uranium dioxide nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carter, R.E.

1975-01-01

Uranium dioxide is prepared for use as fuel in nuclear reactors by sintering it to the desired density at a temperature less than 1300 0 C in a chemically controlled gas atmosphere comprised of at least two gases which in equilibrium provide an oxygen partial pressure sufficient to maintain the uranium dioxide composition at an oxygen/uranium ratio of at least 2.005 at the sintering temperature. 7 Claims, No Drawings

Modeling constrained sintering of bi-layered tubular structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tadesse Molla, Tesfaye; Kothanda Ramachandran, Dhavanesan; Ni, De Wei

2015-01-01

Constrained sintering of tubular bi-layered structures is being used in the development of various technologies. Densification mismatch between the layers making the tubular bi-layer can generate stresses, which may create processing defects. An analytical model is presented to describe the densi...... and thermo-mechanical analysis. Results from the analytical model are found to agree well with finite element simulations as well as measurements from sintering experiment....

Effect of bioglass additions on the sintering of Y-TZP bioceramics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Habibe, A.F.; Maeda, L.D.; Souza, R.C.; Barboza, M.J.R.; Daguano, J.K.M.F. [USP-EEL, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Escola de Engenharia de Lorena, Polo Urbo-Industrial, Gleba AI6, s/n, P.O. Box 116, CEP 12600-970, Lorena-SP (Brazil); Rogero, S.O. [IPEN/CNEN-SP, Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 2242, Sao Paulo-SP, CEP 05508-900 (Brazil); Santos, C., E-mail: claudinei@demar.eel.usp.br [USP-EEL, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Escola de Engenharia de Lorena, Polo Urbo-Industrial, Gleba AI6, s/n, P.O. Box 116, CEP 12600-970, Lorena-SP (Brazil)

2009-08-01

The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of bioglass additions on the sintering and mechanical properties of yttria-stabilized zirconia ceramics, Y-TZP. Samples containing different bioglass additions, varying between 0 and 30 wt.%, were cold uniaxial pressed at 80 MPa and sintered in air at 1200 deg. C or 1300 deg. C for 120 min. Sintered samples were characterized by X-ray Diffractometry and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Hardness and fracture toughness were determined using Vickers indentation method. As a preliminary biological evaluation, in vitro cytotoxicity tests by Neutral Red Uptake method (using mouse connective tissue cells, NCTC clone L929 from ATCC bank) were realized to determine the cytotoxicity level of ZrO{sub 2}-bioglass ceramics. The increasing of bioglass amount leads to the decreasing of relative density due to martensitic (tetragonal-monoclinic) transformation during cooling of the sintered samples. Y-TZP samples sintered at 1300 deg. C containing 5 wt.% of bioglass presented the best results, with high relative density, hardness and fracture toughness of 11.3 GPa and 6.1 MPa m{sup 1/2}, respectively. Furthermore, the un-cytotoxic behavior was observed in all sintering conditions and bioglass amounts used in this study.

Fabrication and study of double sintered TiNi-based porous alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Sergey, Anikeev; Valentina, Hodorenko; Timofey, Chekalkin; Victor, Gunther; Ji-hoon, Kang; Ji-soon, Kim

2017-05-01

Double-sintered porous TiNi-based alloys were fabricated and their structural characteristics and physico-mechanical properties were investigated. A fabrication technology of powder mixtures is elaborated in this article. Sintering conditions were chosen experimentally to ensure good structure and properties. The porous alloys were synthesized by solid-state double diffusion sintering (DDS) of Ti-Ni powder and prepare to obtain dense, crack-free, and homogeneous samples. The Ti-Ni compound sintered at various temperatures was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. Phase composition of the sintered alloys was determined by x-ray diffraction. Analysis of the data confirmed the morphology and structural parameters. Mechanical and physical properties of the sintered alloys were evaluated. DDS at 1250 °C was found to be optimal to produce porous samples with a porosity of 56% and mean pore size of 90 μm. Pore size distribution was unimodal within the narrow range of values. The alloys present enhanced strength and ductility, owing to both the homogeneity of the macrostructure and relative elasticity of the bulk, which is hardened by the Ni-rich precipitates. These results suggest the possibility to manufacture porous TiNi-based alloys for application as a new class of dental implants.

Double Step Sintering Behavior Of 316L Nanoparticle Dispersed Micro-Sphere Powder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeon Byoungjun

2015-06-01

Full Text Available 316L stainless steel is a well-established engineering material and lots of components are fabricated by either ingot metallurgy or powder metallurgy. From the viewpoints of material properties and process versatility, powder metallurgy has been widely applied in industries. Generally, stainless steel powders are prepared by atomization processes and powder characteristics, compaction ability, and sinterability are quite different according to the powder preparation process. In the present study, a nanoparticle dispersed micro-sphere powder is synthesized by pulse wire explosion of 316L stainless steel wire in order to facilitate compaction ability and sintering ability. Nanoparticles which are deposited on the surface of micro-powder are advantageous for a rigid die compaction while spherical micro-powder is not to be compacted. Additionally, double step sintering behavior is observed for the powder in the dilatometry of cylindrical compact body. Earlier shrinkage peak comes from the sintering of nanoparticle and later one results from the micro-powder sintering. Microstructure as well as phase composition of the sintered body is investigated.

Simulated UO{sub 2} fuel containing CsI by spark plasma sintering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wangle, T. [European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU), Postfach 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe (Germany); Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Břehová 7, Praha 1, 115 19 (Czech Republic); Tyrpekl, V. [European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU), Postfach 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe (Germany); Cologna, M., E-mail: marco.cologna@ec.europa.eu [European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU), Postfach 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe (Germany); Somers, J. [European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU), Postfach 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe (Germany)

2015-11-15

Herein, an innovative preparation procedure has been deployed enabling, for the first time, the incorporation of volatile fission product simulant into highly dense nuclear fuel pellets. Highly volatile fission products were embedded in a dense UO{sub 2} matrix in the form of CsI by simply mixing starting materials and consolidation in a Spark Plasma Sintering step at 1000 °C with a 5 min dwell time. CsI particles were evenly distributed throughout the pellet and were located at the grain boundaries. The sintering rate is dependent on the O/U ratio of the powder. Addition of CsI also acts as a sintering aid, reducing the temperature of maximum densification. - Highlights: • A new method was developed to incorporation of volatile fission products simulants into dense nuclear fuel pellets. • CsI doped UO{sub 2} pellets were synthetized for the first time, by Spark Plasma Sintering. • The sintering rate in Spark Plasma Sintering is dependent on the O/U ratio of UO{sub 2+x}.

Fabrication mechanism of FeSe superconductors with high-energy ball milling aided sintering process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Shengnan; Liu, Jixing; Feng, Jianqing; Wang, Yao; Ma, Xiaobo; Li, Chengshan; Zhang, Pingxiang

2015-01-01

FeSe Superconducting bulks with high content of superconducting PbO-type β-FeSe phase were prepared with high-energy ball milling (HEBM) aided sintering process. During this process, precursor powders with certain Fe/Se ratio were ball milled first then sintered. The influences of HEBM process as well as initial Fe/Se ratio on the phase evolution process were systematically discussed. With HEBM process and proper initial Fe/Se ratio, the formation of non-superconducting hexagonal δ-FeSe phase were effectively avoided. FeSe bulk with the critical temperature of 9.0 K was obtained through a simple one-step sintering process with lower sintering temperature. Meanwhile, the phase evolution mechanism of the HEBM precursor powders during sintering was deduced based on both the thermodynamic analysis and step-by-step sintering results. The key function of the HEBM process was to provide a high uniformity of chemical composition distribution, thus to successfully avoide the formation of intermediate product during sintering, including FeSe 2 and Fe 7 Se 8 . Therefore, the fundamental principal for the synthesis of FeSe superconductors were concluded as: HEBM aided sintering process, with the sintering temperature of >635 °C and a slow cooling process. - Highlights: • A novel synthesis technique was developed for FeSe based superconductors. • FeSe bulks with high Tc and high β-FeSe phase content has been obtained. • Phase evolution process for the HEBM aided sintering process was proposed

Fabrication and testing of the sintered ceramic UO2 fuel - I - III, Part III - testing of sintered uranium dioxide properties dependent on the fabrication procedure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novakovic, M.; Ristic, M.M.

1961-12-01

The objective of this task was testing the influence of some parameters on the properties of sintered UO 2 . The influence of parameters tested were as follows: adhesives; pressure in the pressing procedure; temperature of sintering of the UO 2 powder. Other parameters were chosen according to the theoretical study. Sintering was done in argon atmosphere. Characterization of the UO 2 powder was performed meaning determining the needed chemical, physical and physico-chemical properties. Some new methods were developed within this task: SET method for measuring the specific surfaces, DTA, TGA, high-temperature torsion

Rare earth elements in sinters from the geothermal waters (hot springs) on the Tibetan Plateau, China

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Jin-Liang; Zhao, Zhen-Hong; Chen, Feng; Hu, Hai-Ping

2014-10-01

The mineralogical and geochemical composition of sinters from the geothermal areas on the Tibetan Plateau was determined. They occur as siliceous, salty and calcareous sinters but biogenic siliceous sinters were also found. The analyses indicate that there are no distinct inter -element relationships between individual rare earth elements (REEs) and other elements. Formed from the same geothermal water, the mineralogical and chemical composition of the sinters is influenced by their genesis and formation conditions. The REE distributions depend on the origin of the sinters. Fe-Mn phases in sinters tend to scavenge more REEs from geothermal water. Neither the REE fractionation nor the Ce anomaly seems to be associated with Fe-Mn phases in the sinters. The fourth tetrads of some sinters display weak W-type (concave) effects. In contrast, the third tetrads present large effects in some sinters due to positive Gd anomalies. The origin of the positive Eu anomalies in some sinters seems to be caused by preferential dissolution of feldspars during water-rock interaction. The complexing ligands in geothermal water may contribute significantly to the fractionation of REEs in sinters. The dominant CO32- and HCO3- complexing in geothermal water favors enrichment of heavy REEs in calcareous sinters.

Creation and Validation of Sintered PTFE BRDF Targets & Standards.

Science.gov (United States)

Durell, Christopher; Scharpf, Dan; McKee, Greg; L'Heureux, Michelle; Georgiev, Georgi; Obein, Gael; Cooksey, Catherine

2015-09-21

Sintered polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is an extremely stable, near-perfect Lambertian reflecting diffuser and calibration standard material that has been used by national labs, space, aerospace and commercial sectors for over two decades. New uncertainty targets of 2 % on-orbit absolute validation in the Earth Observing Systems community have challenged the industry to improve is characterization and knowledge of almost every aspect of radiometric performance (space and ground). Assuming "near perfect" reflectance for angular dependent measurements is no longer going to suffice for many program needs. The total hemispherical spectral reflectance provides a good mark of general performance; but, without the angular characterization of bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) measurements, critical data is missing from many applications and uncertainty budgets. Therefore, traceable BRDF measurement capability is needed to characterize sintered PTFE's angular response and provide a full uncertainty profile to users. This paper presents preliminary comparison measurements of the BRDF of sintered PTFE from several laboratories to better quantify the BRDF of sintered PTFE, assess the BRDF measurement comparability between laboratories, and improve estimates of measurement uncertainties under laboratory conditions.

The investigation of order–disorder transition process of ZSM-5 induced by spark plasma sintering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Liang [State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, Donghua University, 2999 North Renmin Road, Songjiang, Shanghai 201620 (China); Wang, Lianjun, E-mail: wanglj@dhu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, Donghua University, 2999 North Renmin Road, Songjiang, Shanghai 201620 (China); Jiang, Wan [Engineering Research Center of Advanced Glasses Manufacturing Technology, MOE, Donghua University, 2999 North Renmin Road, Songjiang, Shanghai 201620 (China); Lin, He, E-mail: linhe@sinap.ac.cn [Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 239 Zhangheng Road, Pudong, Shanghai 200120 (China)

2014-04-01

Based on the amorphization of zeolites, an order–disorder transition method was used to prepare silica glass via Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS). In order to get a better understanding about the mechanism of amorphization induced by SPS, the intermediate products in this process were prepared and characterized by different characterization techniques. X-ray diffraction and High-energy synchrotron X-ray scattering show a gradual transformation from ordered crystal to glass. Local structural changes in glass network including Si–O bond length, O–Si–O bond angle, size of rings, coordination were detected by Infrared spectroscopy and {sup 29}Si magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Topologically ordered, amorphous material with a different intermediate-range structure can be obtained by precise control of intermediate process which can be expected to optimize and design material. - Graphical abstract: Low-density, ordered zeolites collapse to the rigid amorphous glass through spark plasma sintering. The intermediate-range structure formed in the process of order–disorder transition may give rise to specific property. - Highlights: • Order–disorder transition process of ZSM-5 induced by spark plasma sintering was investigated using several methods including XRD, High-energy synchrotron X-ray scattering, SAXS, IR, NMR, ect. • Order–disorder transition induced by SPS was compared with TIA and PIA. • Three stages has been divided during the whole process. • The collapse temperature range which may give rise to intermediate-range structure has been located.

Sintering and microstructure of ZnO varistor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leite, E.R.; Longo, E.; Varela, J.A.

1987-01-01

The sintering and microstructure of ZnO-Bi 2 O 3 (ZB) and ZuO-Sb 2 O 3 -CoO-Bi 2 O 3 (ZSCB) varistors in several temperatures, for one hour in dry air temperature were studied. The compounds were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis and the density and porosity were determined by mercury picnometry. The experimental results showed that the ZB and ZSCB system sinters by liquid means and that liquid will control the density and grain growth mechanisms. (E.G.) [pt

Influence of Various Process Parameters on the Density of Sintered Aluminium Alloys

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mateusz Laska

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the results of density measurements carried out on Alumix sintered parts. ECKA Alumix aluminium powders were used because of their wide application in the powder metallurgy industry. The compacts were produced using a wide range of compaction pressures for three different chemical compositions. The compacts were then sintered under a pure dry nitrogen atmosphere at three different temperatures. The heating and cooling rates were the same throughout the entire test. The results showed that the green density increases with compaction pressure, but that sintered density is independent of green density (compaction pressure for each sintering temperature.

Contribution to the study of the sintering of ex-carbonyl iron in the {alpha} and {gamma} phases using the micro-fractographic technique; Contribution a l'etude du frittage du fer ex-carbonyle en phases {alpha} et {gamma} par examen des surfaces de rupture au microscope electronique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oxley Gaborit de Montjou, M.Th. [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1966-07-01

The micro-fractographic study of the sintering of ex-carbonyl iron has shown or confirmed a number of phenomena of which the principal are as followed: Sintering in the a phase: -) existence of two stages of sintering differentiated by the type of rupture (inter or trans-crystalline); -) marked influence of the content of oxygen in the atmosphere and in the initial compressed sample on the speed of sintering; -) formation of striations on the grain-boundary surfaces and on the inner surface of pores caused by the presence of oxygen. Sintering in the {gamma} phase: -) a pronounced decrease in the speed of sintering: the grains in the initial powder remain in the granular state within the final {alpha} crystal in the iron sintered in the lower {gamma} range even after several hours of sintering; -) this granular structure can be eliminated by intermediate compression thus enabling the sintering process to proceed. A considerable decrease in the speed of sintering if the A{sub 3} point is passed one or more times in the {alpha} range sintering. A high speed sintering if the treatment in the {gamma} range is carried out at or above 1300 C. The results of this study agree with micrographic investigation as well as with dilatometric measurements and known auto-diffusion coefficients. (author) [French] L'etude microfractographique du frittage du fer ex-carbonyle a permis de mettre en evidence ou verifier plusieurs phenomenes dont les principaux sont les suivants: Pour le frittoge en phase {alpha}: -) existence de deux stades de frittage differencies par le type de rupture (inter et transcristalline); -) importance de la teneur en oxygene dans l'atmosphere et dans le comprime initial sur la vitesse de frittage; -) formation de stries dues a la presence d'oxygene sur les plans de joints et a l'interieur des pores. Pour le frittage en phase {gamma}: -) un ralentissement tres prononce de la cinetique du frittage: les granules de la poudre initiale demeurent a l'etat de

Cr2O3-doped MOX fuel: doping and sintering atmosphere optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, R.

2013-01-01

oxygen potential range of interest for MOX fuel sintering (-445 kJ/mol ≤ μO 2 ≤ -360 kJ/mol). This thermodynamic model contributes to the optimization of the doping stage of fabrication and defines the optimal conditions of PuCrO 3 precipitates formation.The aim of the second part is to verify if the thermodynamic conditions of PuCrO 3 formation correspond to an optimal plutonium distribution and grain growth of the mixed oxide. Samples manufactured with and without Cr 2 O 3 addition and sintered under various atmospheres were analyzed. It was shown that the U-Pu interdiffusion kinetics is completely modified with chromium addition. Moreover, with chromium addition, sintering conditions which increase the U-Pu interdiffusion kinetics, don't necessarily correspond to optimal grain growth. Based on these results, recommendations for the industrial manufacturing process are proposed. They deal with the choice of the sintering atmosphere and doping concentration to obtain an optimized microstructure. (author) [fr

Direct laser sintered WC-10Co/Cu nanocomposites

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Dongdong; Shen, Yifu

2008-04-01

In the present work, the direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) process was used to prepare the WC-Co/Cu nanocomposites in bulk form. The WC reinforcing nanoparticles were added in the form of WC-10 wt.% Co composite powder. The microstructural features and mechanical properties of the laser-sintered sample were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscope (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope (EDX), and nanoindentation tester. It showed that the original nanometric nature of the WC reinforcing particulates was well retained without appreciable grain growth after laser processing. A homogeneous distribution of the WC reinforcing nanoparticles with a coherent particulate/matrix interfacial bonding was obtained in the laser-sintered structure. The 94.3% dense nanocomposites have a dynamic nanohardness of 3.47 GPa and a reduced elastic modulus of 613.42 GPa.

Direct laser sintered WC-10Co/Cu nanocomposites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gu Dongdong [College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 29 Yudao Street, Nanjing 210016 (China)], E-mail: dongdonggu@nuaa.edu.cn; Shen Yifu [College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 29 Yudao Street, Nanjing 210016 (China)

2008-04-30

In the present work, the direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) process was used to prepare the WC-Co/Cu nanocomposites in bulk form. The WC reinforcing nanoparticles were added in the form of WC-10 wt.% Co composite powder. The microstructural features and mechanical properties of the laser-sintered sample were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscope (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope (EDX), and nanoindentation tester. It showed that the original nanometric nature of the WC reinforcing particulates was well retained without appreciable grain growth after laser processing. A homogeneous distribution of the WC reinforcing nanoparticles with a coherent particulate/matrix interfacial bonding was obtained in the laser-sintered structure. The 94.3% dense nanocomposites have a dynamic nanohardness of 3.47 GPa and a reduced elastic modulus of 613.42 GPa.

Direct laser sintered WC-10Co/Cu nanocomposites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gu Dongdong; Shen Yifu

2008-01-01

In the present work, the direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) process was used to prepare the WC-Co/Cu nanocomposites in bulk form. The WC reinforcing nanoparticles were added in the form of WC-10 wt.% Co composite powder. The microstructural features and mechanical properties of the laser-sintered sample were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscope (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope (EDX), and nanoindentation tester. It showed that the original nanometric nature of the WC reinforcing particulates was well retained without appreciable grain growth after laser processing. A homogeneous distribution of the WC reinforcing nanoparticles with a coherent particulate/matrix interfacial bonding was obtained in the laser-sintered structure. The 94.3% dense nanocomposites have a dynamic nanohardness of 3.47 GPa and a reduced elastic modulus of 613.42 GPa

Direct Metal Laser Sintering: A Digitised Metal Casting Technology

OpenAIRE

Venkatesh, K. Vijay; Nandini, V. Vidyashree

2013-01-01

Dental technology is undergoing advancements at a fast pace and technology is being imported from various other fields. One such imported technology is direct metal laser sintering technology for casting metal crowns. This article will discuss the process of laser sintering for making metal crowns and fixed partial dentures with a understanding of their pros and cons.

Direct metal laser sintering: a digitised metal casting technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Venkatesh, K Vijay; Nandini, V Vidyashree

2013-12-01

Dental technology is undergoing advancements at a fast pace and technology is being imported from various other fields. One such imported technology is direct metal laser sintering technology for casting metal crowns. This article will discuss the process of laser sintering for making metal crowns and fixed partial dentures with a understanding of their pros and cons.

Selective light sintering of Aerosol-Jet printed silver nanoparticle inks on polymer substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schuetz, K.; Hoerber, J.; Franke, J.

2014-01-01

Printing silver nanoparticle inks to generate conductive structures for electronics on polymer substrates has gained increasing relevance in recent years. In this context, the Aerosol-Jet Technology is well suited to print silver ink on 3D-Molded Interconnect Devices (MID). The deposited ink requires thermal post-treatment to obtain sufficient electrical conductivity and adhesion. However, commonly used oven sintering cannot be applied for many thermoplastic substrates due to low melting temperatures. In this study a new sintering technology, selective light sintering, is presented, based on the focused, continuous light beam of a xenon lamp. Sintering experiments were conducted with Aerosol-Jet printed structures on various polycarbonate (PC) substrates. Especially on neat, light transparent PC, silver tracks were evenly sintered with marginal impact to the substrate. Electrical conductivities significantly exceed the values obtained with conventional oven sintering. Adhesive strength is sufficient for conductive tracks. Experiments with non-transparent PC substrates led to substrate damage due to increased light absorption. Therefore a concept for a variation of light sintering was developed, using optical filters. First experiments showed significant reduction of substrate damage and good sintering qualities. The highly promising results of the conducted experiments provide a base for further investigations to increase adhesion and qualifying the technology for MID applications and a broad spectrum of thermoplastic substrates

Inkjet printable nanosilver suspensions for enhanced sintering quality in rapid manufacturing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bai, John G; Creehan, Kevin D; Kuhn, Howard A

2007-01-01

Inkjet printable nanosilver suspensions were prepared by dispersing 30 nm silver particles into a water-based binder system to enhance the sintering quality in rapid manufacturing. During three-dimensional printing (3DP), the nanosilver suspensions were inkjet printed onto repetitively spread microsilver powder for selective joining. Since the nanosilver particles in the suspensions can be sintered at relatively low temperatures to bond the neighbouring microsilver powder, they were used to provide the continuous bonding strength of the manufacturing parts during the heat-up procedure of the sintering operation. Comparative study shows that the silver parts printed using the nanosilver suspension were significantly enhanced in sintering quality than those printed using the binder system, especially when the silver parts had thin or small features with high aspect ratios

Critical issues and future directions in sintering science

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brook, R.J.; Tuan, W.H.; Xue, L.A.

1988-01-01

The quality of available powders and the emphasis on direct microstructural observation have continued to improve the value of sintering studies for the processing of ceramics. Future concerns will relate to mechanisms for the correction of microstructural inhomogeneity so that pressureless processing of composites can be reliably achieved and to more systematic exploitation of dopants (sintering additives). These themes are illustrated using examples from the processing of alumina composites and doped barium titanate compositions

Improved compaction of ZnO nano-powder triggered by the presence of acetate and its effect on sintering.

Science.gov (United States)

Dargatz, Benjamin; Gonzalez-Julian, Jesus; Guillon, Olivier

2015-04-01

The retention of nanocrystallinity in dense ceramic materials is still a challenge, even with the application of external pressure during sintering. The compaction behavior of high purity and acetate enriched zinc oxide (ZnO) nano-powders was investigated. It was found that acetate in combination with water plays a key role during the compaction into green bodies at moderate temperatures. Application of constant pressure resulted in a homogeneous green body with superior packing density (86% of theoretical value) at moderate temperature (85 °C) in the presence of water. In contrast, no improvement in density could be achieved if pure ZnO powder was used. This compaction behavior offers superior packing of the particles, resulting in a high relative density of the consolidated compact with negligible coarsening. Dissolution accompanying creep diffusion based matter transport is suggested to strongly support reorientation of ZnO particles towards densities beyond the theoretical limit for packing of ideal monosized spheres. Finally, the sintering trajectory reveals that grain growth is retarded compared to conventional processing up to 90% of theoretical density. Moreover, nearly no radial shrinkage was observed after sinter-forging for bodies performed with this advanced processing method.

Borax as flux on sintering of iron Ancor Steel 1000® under glow discharge

Science.gov (United States)

Ariza Suarez, H. G.; Sarmiento Santos, A.; Ortiz Otálora, C. A.

2016-02-01

This work studies the flux effect of borax (di sodium tetraborate decahydrate) on sintering of iron Ancor Steel 1000® in abnormal glow discharge. The incidence of the percentage by weight of borax and the sintering temperature in the process were observed. Samples of powder metallurgical iron were prepared with proportions of 0.50%, 2.0%, 4.0% and 6.0% by weight of borax using the procedures of powder metallurgy. The samples were sintered at 800 and 1100°C for 30min, by glow discharge at low pressure in a reducing atmosphere composed of 20% H2+80% Ar. The samples in compact green-state were analyzed by TGA-DSC to determine the fusion process and mass loss during sintering. The analysis of microhardness and density, shows that at a sintering temperature of 800°C the sample density decreases and the sample microhardness increases with respect to sintered samples without borax. Sintered samples were analysed by DRX showing the absence of precipitates.

A comparison study on the densification behavior and mechanical properties of gelcast vs conventionally formed B4C sintered conventionally and by microwaves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Menchhofer, P.A.; Kiggans, J.O.; Morrow, M.S.; Schechter, D.E.

1996-01-01

The utilization of microwave energy for reaching high temperatures necessary to densify B 4 C powder is compared with conventional means of sintering by evaluating the mechanical properties after densification. Microwave energy has been shown to be an effective means for achieving high sintered densities, even though temperatures of ∼ 2,250 C are required. In this study, green preforms of B 4 C specimens were sintered by both conventional and microwave heating. This study also utilized an advanced forming method called ''Gelcasting'' developed at ORNL. Gelcasting is a fluid forming process whereby high solids suspensions of powders containing dissolved monomers are cast into a mold, then polymerized or ''gelled'' in situ. This investigation compares microstructures and mechanical properties of both Gelcast B 4 C and ''conventionally'' die-pressed B 4 C. The microstructures and final mechanical properties of B 4 C specimens are discussed

Phenomenological analysis of densification mechanism during spark plasma sintering of MgAl2O4

Science.gov (United States)

Bernard-Granger, Guillaume; Benameur, Nassira; Addad, Ahmed; Nygren, Mats; Guizard, Christian; Deville, Sylvain

2009-05-01

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) of MgAl2O4 powder was investigated at temperatures between 1200 and 1300{\\deg}C. A significant grain growth was observed during densification. The densification rate always exhibits at least one strong minimum, and resumes after an incubation period. Transmission electron microscopy investigations performed on sintered samples never revealed extensive dislocation activity in the elemental grains. The densification mechanism involved during SPS was determined by anisothermal (investigation of the heating stage of a SPS run) and isothermal methods (investigation at given soak temperatures). Grain-boundary sliding, accommodated by an in-series {interface-reaction/lattice diffusion of the O$^2$-anions} mechanism controlled by the interface-reaction step, governs densification. The zero-densification-rate period, detected for all soak temperatures, arise from the difficulty of annealing vacancies, necessary for the densification to proceed. The detection of atomic ledges at grain boundaries and the modification of the stoichiometry of spinel during SPS could be related to the difficulty to anneal vacancies at temperature soaks.

Characterization and mass balance of trace elements in an iron ore sinter plant

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucas Ladeira Lau

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Environmental legislation is becoming more restrictive in several industrial sectors, especially in the steel industry, which is well known for its large pollution potential. With the recent growth of interest in effects of trace elements on the environment and health, the inclusion of emission limits on these elements in this legislation has become increasingly popular. This article aims to describe the partitioning of trace elements between the products (sinter and plant emissions in an iron ore sinter plant, aiming to better understand the behavior of these elements in the sintering process to eventually support interventions to modify these partitions. Chemical characterization of several sintering inputs was initially performed, revealing that the steel-making residues contained large concentrations of trace elements, whereas low concentrations were observed in the flux. Based on the trace element concentrations, we analyzed the injection of trace elements in a sintering pilot using a sintering mixture. Mass balance was then used to determine the theoretical partitioning of trace elements in the sinter and emissions; cadmium, nickel, lead, mercury, and copper exhibited greater tendencies to concentrate in atmospheric emissions.

Nd:YAG transparent ceramics fabricated by direct cold isostatic pressing and vacuum sintering

Science.gov (United States)

Ge, Lin; Li, Jiang; Zhou, Zhiwei; Liu, Binglong; Xie, Tengfei; Liu, Jing; Kou, Huamin; Shi, Yun; Pan, Yubai; Guo, Jingkun

2015-12-01

The sintering behavior of neodymium doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) ceramics was investigated on the basis of densification trajectory, microstructure evolution and transmittance. Nd:YAG ceramics with in-line transmittance of 83.9% at 1064 nm and 82.5% at 400 nm were obtained by direct cold isostatic pressing (CIP) at 250 MPa and solid-state reactive sintering at 1790 °C for 30 h under vacuum. Compared with the porosity and the average pore diameter of the sample from uniaxial dry-pressing followed by CIP, those from direct CIP are much smaller. The samples pressed at 250 MPa were sintered from 1500 °C to 1750 °C for 0.5-20 h to study their sintering behavior. At the temperature higher than 1500 °C, pure YAG phase is formed, followed by the densification and grain growth process. The relative density and the grain size increase with the increase of sintering time and temperature, and the sintering behavior is more sensitive to temperature than holding time. The mechanism controlling densification and grain growth at sintering temperature of 1550 °C is grain boundary diffusion.

High sintering resistance of size-selected platinum cluster catalysts by suppressed ostwald ripening

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wettergren, Kristina; Schweinberger, Florian F.; Deiana, Davide

2014-01-01

on different supports exhibit remarkable intrinsic sintering resistance even under reaction conditions. The observed stability is related to suppression of Ostwald ripening by elimination of its main driving force via size-selection. This study thus constitutes a general blueprint for the rational design...... of sintering resistant catalyst systems and for efficient experimental strategies to determine sintering mechanisms. Moreover, this is the first systematic experimental investigation of sintering processes in nanoparticle systems with an initially perfectly monomodal size distribution under ambient conditions....

An Investigation of Sintering Parameters on Titanium Powder for Electron Beam Melting Processing Optimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Drescher, Philipp; Sarhan, Mohamed; Seitz, Hermann

2016-12-01

Selective electron beam melting (SEBM) is a relatively new additive manufacturing technology for metallic materials. Specific to this technology is the sintering of the metal powder prior to the melting process. The sintering process has disadvantages for post-processing. The post-processing of parts produced by SEBM typically involves the removal of semi-sintered powder through the use of a powder blasting system. Furthermore, the sintering of large areas before melting decreases productivity. Current investigations are aimed at improving the sintering process in order to achieve better productivity, geometric accuracy, and resolution. In this study, the focus lies on the modification of the sintering process. In order to investigate and improve the sintering process, highly porous titanium test specimens with various scan speeds were built. The aim of this study was to decrease build time with comparable mechanical properties of the components and to remove the residual powder more easily after a build. By only sintering the area in which the melt pool for the components is created, an average productivity improvement of approx. 20% was achieved. Tensile tests were carried out, and the measured mechanical properties show comparatively or slightly improved values compared with the reference.

Processing and properties of mechanically alloyed sintered steels with hard inclusions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gutsfeld, C.

1991-10-01

The aim of this work was the development of mechanically alloyed sintered steels with inert hard inclusions and their characterisation concerning the mechanical properties and the sliding wear behaviour. For this material concept the hard materials NbC, TiC, TiN and Al 2 O 3 were chosen with volume contents upto 20%. Mechanical alloying of the raw powders is a necessary prerequisit for an extreme fine and homogeneous microstructure and good mechanical and wear properties. Through a connecting powder annealing a conventional powder metallurgical processing with cold pressing and sintering is possible. For the consolidation pressureless liquid phase sintering initiated through phosphorus contents of 0,6% is suitable. Because of the strong hampering of grain growth through the included hard particles sintering densities upto 99% TD are possible with extreme fine microstructures. The mechanical properties can be varied in wide ranges. So tensile strengths of 1150 MPa, elongations at fracture of 17%, hardness of over 800 HV and fatigue strengths of 370 MPa have been reached. Throughout HIP or sinter forging the mechanical properties can be improved furthermore. (orig.) [de

Effect of sintering temperature and heating mode on consolidation of ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

ratures ranging from 570–630 ◦C. Microwave sintering at a heating rate of as high as 22◦. C/min resulted in ... The effect of heating mode and sintering temperature are discussed .... the compacts. This is attributed to the Zn evaporated from the.

Grain growth behavior of Cr dispersed UO{sub 2} pellets according to change of oxygen potential during the isothermal sintering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, Jang Soo; Yang, Jae Ho; Kim, Dong Joo; Kim, Jong Hun; Nam, Ik Hui; Rhee, Young Woo; Kim, Keon Sik [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2012-10-15

Recent development of advanced UO{sub 2} pellet materials for commercial reactors is mainly focused on the large grain pellet which can deform easily at an elevated temperature. Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3}-doped UO{sub 2} pellet is one of the promising candidates. To increase the grain size effectively, it is important to control the additive content and sintering atmosphere. Relevant research on the Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} doped UO{sub 2} system revealed that the doped Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} formed a liquid phase under optimized oxygen potential, and those liquid phases promoted the grain growth. Recent work also showed that step-wise variation of sintering atmosphere during the isothermal annealing step significantly increased the grain size of Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} doped UO{sub 2} pellet. In this paper, we investigated effect of oxygen potential change at the beginning of isothermal sintering stage on the grain growth in metallic Cr dispersed UO{sub 2} pellets. The study on the milling effect of powder mixture on the grain growth is also a part of this work.

The effect of nano-TiC addition on sintered Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mural, Zorjana; Kollo, Lauri; Xia, Manlong; Bahl, Christian R.H.; Abrahamsen, Asger Bech; Bez, Henrique Neves; Link, Joosep; Veinthal, Renno

2017-01-01

This paper addresses the effect of nano-TiC addition on sintered Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets. TiC nanoparticles were added to sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets with a specific aim to improve the Curie temperature and thermal stability. A standard powder metallurgy route was adopted to prepare the magnets. It was found that introducing nano-TiC prior to jet milling was effective as the nanoparticles dispersed in the final alloy, concentcalcrating in the neodymium-rich phase of the magnets. Magnets with optimal properties were obtained with the addition of 1 wt% TiC nanoparticles. The hysteresis loop for such magnets showed an improved shape and VSM analysis a coercivity value of 1188 kA/m, a remanence value of 0.96 T and a maximum energy product of 132 kJ/m 3 . The maximum working point and the Curie temperature of the developed magnets were 373 K and 623 K respectively. - Highlights: • Improvement of thermal stability of Nd-Fe-B magnets by introducing nano-TiC prior sintering is proposed. • The mechanism relies on nano-TiC particles behaving as grain growth inhibitors between thin RE-rich phase regions. • The concentration of up to 1 wt% of nano-TiC appears to increase coercivity without a significant decrease in remanence. • The maximum working point and the Curie temperature of the developed magnets are 373 K and 623 K respectively.

The effect of nano-TiC addition on sintered Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mural, Zorjana, E-mail: zorjana.mural@ttu.ee [Department of Materials Engineering, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn (Estonia); Kollo, Lauri [Department of Materials Engineering, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn (Estonia); Xia, Manlong; Bahl, Christian R.H. [Department of Energy Conversion and Storage, Technical University of Denmark, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde (Denmark); Abrahamsen, Asger Bech [Department of Wind Energy, Technical University of Denmark, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde (Denmark); Bez, Henrique Neves [Department of Energy Conversion and Storage, Technical University of Denmark, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde (Denmark); Link, Joosep [National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Akadeemia tee 23, 12618 Tallinn (Estonia); Veinthal, Renno [Department of Materials Engineering, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn (Estonia)

2017-05-01

This paper addresses the effect of nano-TiC addition on sintered Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets. TiC nanoparticles were added to sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets with a specific aim to improve the Curie temperature and thermal stability. A standard powder metallurgy route was adopted to prepare the magnets. It was found that introducing nano-TiC prior to jet milling was effective as the nanoparticles dispersed in the final alloy, concentcalcrating in the neodymium-rich phase of the magnets. Magnets with optimal properties were obtained with the addition of 1 wt% TiC nanoparticles. The hysteresis loop for such magnets showed an improved shape and VSM analysis a coercivity value of 1188 kA/m, a remanence value of 0.96 T and a maximum energy product of 132 kJ/m{sup 3}. The maximum working point and the Curie temperature of the developed magnets were 373 K and 623 K respectively. - Highlights: • Improvement of thermal stability of Nd-Fe-B magnets by introducing nano-TiC prior sintering is proposed. • The mechanism relies on nano-TiC particles behaving as grain growth inhibitors between thin RE-rich phase regions. • The concentration of up to 1 wt% of nano-TiC appears to increase coercivity without a significant decrease in remanence. • The maximum working point and the Curie temperature of the developed magnets are 373 K and 623 K respectively.

Sintering and microstructure evolution of columnar nickel-based superalloy sheets prepared by EB-PVD