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Flash Sintering

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Field-Assisted Sintering

Abstract

In this chapter, the principle of flash sintering is presented, and the underlying mechanisms of the phenomenon are discussed. Flash sintering has attracted significant attention as a sintering method offering energy saving and shortening of processing times of ceramics to full density. In its “traditional” format, flash sintering occurs when an electrical potential is applied to the pre-compacted specimen heated in a furnace. The characteristic field strength and power dissipation values in flash sintering are 100–100 V·cm−1 and 10–1000 W·cm−3, respectively. From the viewpoint of sintering science, flash sintering is a remarkable phenomenon. It is currently agreed that “traditional” flash sintering is accompanied by a sudden increase in the conductivity of the sintered material, while the temperature instability plays a crucial role in the development of flash sintering. In the present chapter, initiation of flash sintering events by arc plasma and microwave radiation is also described. Possibilities of conducting flash sintering using sintering molds (including “flash spark plasma sintering”) are discussed. Microstructural evidence of grain-boundary melting in flash-sintered ceramics is provided. Possibilities to flash sinter all types of materials regardless of the way their electrical conductivity changes with temperature by forcing thermal runaway by applying a certain electric current pattern are presented. Application of flash sintering as a microstructure design method is exemplified by describing the origin and features of compositional and structural inhomogeneities arising in the flash-sintered materials due to melting of the material located at the grain boundaries. Examples of flash sintering of composite materials and accelerated phase homogenization during flash sintering of powder mixtures are provided. Successful applications of flash sintering for the production of functional materials and multilayered structures are discussed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Engineering, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA

    Eugene A. Olevsky

  2. Lavrentyev Institute of Hydrodynamics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia

    Dina V. Dudina

Authors
  1. Eugene A. Olevsky
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  2. Dina V. Dudina
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Olevsky, E.A., Dudina, D.V. (2018). Flash Sintering. In: Field-Assisted Sintering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76032-2_5

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