Rapid consolidation of binderless nanocrystalline silicon carbide by pulsed current activated sintering

Abstract

Hard nanostructured SiC material was produced within 3 minutes from mechanically activated powder by the simultaneous application of a pressure of 500 MPa and a 2,800 A pulsed current. The pulsed current activated sintering was performed on SiC of various grain sizes. With a finer initial SiC powder size, the resulting density was higher and the SiC possessed improved mechanical properties. The fracture toughness, hardness, and grain size of the sintered SIC were investigated.