Flash sintering feasibility study and localized densification in boron carbide |
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| Authors: | Andrew Rosenberger Raymond E Brennan Aubrey L Fry |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Bennett Aerospace, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, USA;2. CCDC Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, USA;3. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA |
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| Abstract: | The feasibility of flash sintering boron carbide (B4C) was investigated using a direct current (DC) electric field across different electrodes, field strengths, and thermal profiles. Flash behavior was observed at furnace temperatures as low as 386°C with field strengths of 68-278 V/cm, but only a small channel of the specimen was densified due to hot spot effects. Application of a 2.2 V/cm·s voltage ramp at a constant temperature of 550°C caused uniform heating, but at temperatures too low for sintering. Scalable densification of B4C at low furnace temperatures with flash sintering is theorized to be possible by applying a higher current density through power supply or specimen modifications. |
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| Keywords: | boron carbide densification Field Assisted Sintering Technology (FAST) |
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