Thermal-electrical coupled analysis and experimental investigation on spark plasma sintering of SiC ceramics

Abstract

Finite element simulations were conducted to study the mechanism of spark plasma sintering. The spark plasma sintering of SiC ceramics was simulated by the Marc software based on the load current curve and temperature-time curve deserved by SPS experiment. The concept of equivalent radiation coefficient was presented and applied during the simulation. The temperature distribution regularity of SiC ceramics sintered by SPS technology was got by thermal-electrical coupled finite element simulation. The experimental results show that by thermal-electrical coupled finite element analysis, the temperature rising and distribution regularity of nonconductive material can be preferable forecasted in the sintering process of SPS. In the initial stage of the heat preservation, the temperature of the central part of the sample has achieved sintering temperature, but now, the temperature of the sample is not uniform. The temperature for each part of the die is also quite different and the sample temperature in the center is higher than that in the edge. In the end of heat preservation, the central temperature of the sample is 50 °C higher than the required sintering temperature, and the temperature gap for each part of the die decreases gradually.

Keywords

SiC / spark plasma sintering / thermal-electrical coupled analysis / finite element simulation

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