Microstructure, electric, and thermal properties of the Ta-Cu composite is evaluated for the application in electric contact materials. This material has the potential to be used in a medium for a high current range of current conditions, replacing Ag-MO, W, and WC containing materials. The optimized SPS process conditions are a temperature of 900oC for a 5 min holding time under a 30 MPa mechanical pressure. Comparative research is carried out for the calculated and actual values of the thermal and electric properties. The range of actual thermal and electric properties of the Ta-Cu composite are 50~300W/mk and 10~90 %IACS, respectively, according to the compositional change of the 90 to 10 wt% Ta-Cu system. The results related to the electric contact properties, suggest that less than 50 wt% of Ta compositions are possible in applications of electric contact materials.

In the present work, we use multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) as the starting material for the fabrication of sintered carbon steel. A comparison is made with conventionally sintered carbon steel, where graphite is used as the starting material. Milling is performed using a horizontal mill sintered in a vacuum furnace. We analyze the grain size, number of pores, X-ray diffraction patterns, and microstructure. Changes in the physical properties are determined by using the Archimedes method and Vickers hardness measurements. The result shows that the use of MWCNTs instead of graphite significantly reduces the size and volume of the pores as well as the grain size after sintering. The addition of Y2O3.to the Fe-MWCNT samples further inhibits the growth of grains.

Neodymium-iron-boron (Nd-Fe-B) sintered magnets have excellent magnetic properties such as the remanence, coercive force, and the maximum energy product compared to other hard magnetic materials. The coercive force of Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets is improved by the addition of heavy rare earth elements such as dysprosium and terbium instead of neodymium. Then, the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets increases. However, additional elements have increased the production cost of Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets. Hence, a study on the control of the microstructure of Nd-Fe-B magnets is being conducted. As the coercive force of magnets improves, the grain size of the Nd2Fe14B grain is close to 300 nm because they are nucleation-type magnets. In this study, fine particles of Nd-Fe-B are prepared with various grinding energies in the pulverization process used for preparing sintered magnets, and the microstructure and magnetic properties of the magnets are investigated.

We investigate the microstructural and magnetic property changes of DyH2, Cu + DyH2, and Al + DyH2 diffusion-treated NdFeB sintered magnets with the post annealing (PA) temperature. The coercivity of all the diffusiontreated magnets increases with increasing heat treatment temperature except at 910oC, where it decreases slightly. Moreover, at 880oC, the coercivity increases by 3.8 kOe in Cu and 4.7 kOe in Al-mixed DyH2-coated magnets, whereas this increase is relatively low (3.0 kOe) in the magnet coated with only DyH2. Both Cu and Al have an almost similar effect on the coercivity improvement, particularly over the heat treatment temperature range of 790-880oC. The diffusivity and diffusion depth of Dy increases in those magnets that are treated with Cu or Al-mixed DyH2, mainly because of the comparatively easy diffusion path provided by Cu and Al owing to their solubility in the Nd-rich grain boundary phase. The formation of a highly anisotropic (Nd, Dy)2Fe14B phase layer, which acts as the shell in the core-shell-type structure so as to prevent the reverse domain movement, is the cause of enhanced coercivity of diffusion-treated Nd-Fe-B magnets.

A lean alloy is defined as a low alloy steel with a minimum amount of the alloying element that maintains the characteristics of the sintered alloy. It is well known that the addition of elements such as Cr, P, Si, or Mn improves the mechanical characteristics of the alloy, but decreases the sinterability. The mother alloy is used to avoid an oxidation reaction with the alloying elements of Cr, P, Si or Mn. The purpose of this study is to determine the change in the mechanical properties of Fe-P-Mo and Fe-P-Mn alloys as a result of the addition of Si. In this article, the Fe-P-Mo and Fe-P-Mn alloys to which Si is added are compacted at 7.0 g/cm3 and then sintered in H2-N2 at 1120℃. The P around the macropores and large grains reduces due to the formation of SiO2 as the Si content increases. This is caused by the increase in strength owing to reducing intergranular fracture by suppressing the reaction with oxygen.

This study investigates the thermal shock property of a polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) produced by a high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) sintering process. Three kinds of PDCs are manufactured by the HPHT sintering process using different particle sizes of the initial diamond powders: 8-16 μm (D50 = 4.3 μm), 10-20 μm (D50 = 6.92 μm), and 12-22 μm (D50 = 8.94 μm). The microstructure observation results for the manufactured PDCs reveal that elemental Co and W are present along the interface of the diamond particles. The fractions of Co and WC in the PDC increase as the initial particle size decreases. The manufactured PDCs are subjected to thermal shock tests at two temperatures of 780oC and 830oC. The results reveal that the PDC with a smaller particle size of diamond easily produces microscale thermal cracks. This is mainly because of the abundant presence of Co and WC phases along the diamond interface and the easy formation of Co-based (CoO, Co3O4) and W-based (WO2) oxides in the PDC using smaller diamond particles. The microstructural factors for controlling the thermal shock property of PDC material are also discussed.

A sintered body of TiB2-reinforced iron matrix composite (Fe-TiB2) is fabricated by pressureless-sintering of a mixture of titanium hydride (TiH2) and iron boride (FeB) powders. The powder mixture is prepared in a planetary ball-mill at 700 rpm for 3 h and then pressurelessly sintered at 1300, 1350 and 1400oC for 0-2 h. The optimal sintering temperature for high densities (above 95% relative density) is between 1350 and 1400oC, where the holding time can be varied from 0.25 to 2 h. A maximum relative density of 96.0% is obtained from the (FeB+TiH2) powder compacts sintered at 1400oC for 2 h. Sintered compacts have two main phases of Fe and TiB2 along with traces of TiB, which seems to be formed through the reaction of TiB2 formed at lower temperatures during the heating stage with the excess Ti that is intentionally added to complete the reaction for TiB2 formation. Nearly fully densified sintered compacts show a homogeneous microstructure composed of fine TiB2 particulates with submicron sizes and an Fe-matrix. A maximum hardness of 71.2 HRC is obtained from the specimen sintered at 1400oC for 0.5 h, which is nearly equivalent to the HRC of conventional WC-Co hardmetals containing 20 wt% Co.

As wrought stainless steel, sintered stainless steel (STS) has excellent high-temperature anti-corrosion even at high temperature of 800ºC and exhibit corrosion resistance in air. The oxidation behavior and oxidation mechanism of the sintered 316L stainless was reported at the high temperature in our previous study. In this study, the effects of additives on high-temperature corrosion resistances were investigated above 800ºC at the various oxides (SiO2, Al2O3, MgO and Y2O3) added STS respectively as an oxidation inhibitor. The morphology of the oxide layers were observed by SEM and the oxides phase and composition were confirmed by XRD and EDX. As a result, the weight of STS 316L sintered body increased sharply at 1000oC and the relative density of specimen decreased as metallic oxide addition increased. Compared with STS 316L sintered parts, weight change ratio corresponding to different oxidation time at 900oC and 1000oC, decreased gradually with the addition of metallic oxide. The best corrosion resistance properties of STS could be improved in case of using Y2O3. The oxidation rate was diminished dramatically by suppression the peeling on oxide layers at Y2O3 added sintered stainless steel.

SKD11 (ASTM D2) tool steel is a versatile high-carbon, high-chromium, air-hardening tool steel that is characterized by a relatively high attainable hardness and numerous, large, chromium rich alloy carbide in the microstructure. SKD11 tool steel provides an effective combination of wear resistance and toughness, tool performance, price, and a wide variety of product forms. Adding of CNTs increased the performance of mechanical properties more. 1, 3 vol% CNTs was dispersed in SKD11 matrix by mechanical alloying. SKD11 carbon nanocomposite powder was sintered by spark plasma sintering process. FE-SEM, HR-TEM and Raman analysis were carried out for the SKD11 carbon nanocomposites.

This study investigates the microstructure and thermal shock properties of polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) produced by the high-temperature, high-pressure (HPHT) process. The diamond used for the investigation features a 12~22 μm- and 8~16 μm-sized main particles, and 1~2 μm-sized filler particles. The filler particle ratio is adjusted up to 5~31% to produce a mixed particle, and then the tap density is measured. The measurement finds that as the filler particle ratio increases, the tap density value continuously increases, but at 23% or greater, it reduces by a small margin. The mixed particle described above undergoes an HPHT sintering process. Observation of PDC microstructures reveals that the filler particle ratio with high tap density value increases direct bonding among diamond particles, Co distribution becomes even, and the Co and W fraction also decreases. The produced PDC undergoes thermal shock tests with two temperature conditions of 820 and 830, and the results reveals that PDC with smaller filler particle ratio and low tap density value easily produces cracks, while PDC with high tap density value that contributes in increased direct bonding along with the higher diamond content results in improved thermal shock properties.

In order to clarify the effect of Nb addition on the ductile-brittle transition property of sintered TiC, TiC-10 mol% Nb composites were researched using a three-point bending test at temperatures from room temperature to 2020 K, and the fracture surface was observed by scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the Nb addition decreases the ductile-brittle transition temperature of sintered TiC by 300 K and increases the ductility. The room temperature bending strength was maintained at up to 1800 K, but drastically dropped at higher temperatures in pure TiC. The strength increased moderately to a value of 320MPa at 1600 K in TiC-10 mol% Nb composites, which is 40% of the room temperature strength. Pores were observed in both the grains and the grain boundaries. It can be seen that, as Nb was added, the size of the grain decreased. The ductile-brittle transition temperature in TiC-10 mol% Nb composites was determined to be 1550 K. Above 1970 K, yieldpoint behavior was observed. When the grain boundary and cleavage strengths exceed the yield strength, plastic deformation is observed at about the same stress level in bending as in compression. The effect of Nb addition is discussed from the viewpoint of ability for plastic deformation.

In this study, analysis on the oxidation behavior was conducted by a series of high-temperature oxidation tests at both 800oC, 900oC and 1000 in the air with sintered STS 316L. The weight gain of each oxidized specimen was measured, the oxidized surface morphologies and composition of oxidation layer were analyzed with Scanning Electron Microscope-Energy Dispersive x-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), finally, the phase change and composition of the oxidized specimen were shown by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). As a result, the weight gain increased sharply at 1000oC when oxidation test was conducted for 210 hours. Also, a plentiful of pores were observed in the surface oxidation layers at 900oC for 210 hours. In addition, the following conclusions on oxidation behavior of sintered STS 316L can be obtained: Cr2O3 can be formed on pores by influxing oxygen through open-pores, (Fe0.6Cr0.4)2O3 can be generated on the inner oxidation layer, and Fe2O3 was on the outer oxidation layer. Also, NiFe2O4 could be precipitated if the oxidation time was kept longer.

In this study, STS 316L powders with 3 wt.% Cu and 1 wt.% Sn known as corrosion-resistance reinforce- ment elements, are prepared to make different kinds of specimens, in which, 3 wt.% Cu and 1 wt.% Sn are added in different forms by mixing, alloying and fully alloying. After sintering in the same condition, the corrosion resistance, wear resistance and their mechanical properties of specimens are tested respectively. According to the comparison, STS 316L specimen sintered at 1270o C showed the most excellent mechanical property: HRB 78 (hardness), 1130.7 MPa (RCS), 26.6% (Fraction Wear), It was similar with the specimen made of STS316L and fully alloyed Cu and Sn pow- ders, meanwhile, the latter one appears the best corrosion resistance, 75hrs-salt immersion test results. In addition, the specimens with Cu and Sn powders additive showed relatively worse wear resistance in compared with STS316L spec- imen.

The effect of particle size distribution on green and sintered properties of Fe-Cr-Mo prealloy powder was investigated in this study. For the study, prealloyed Fe-Cr-Mo powders with different particle sizes were mixed as various ratios and cold compacted at various pressure and sintered at for 30 min, atmosphere in the continuous sintering furnace. The results shows that the powders with large particle size distribution have high compressibility and low ejection force. However the green strength are much less than those with small particle size distribution. Tensile prperties of the sintered specimes with large particles size also have high strength and elongation.

The present study was focused on the analysis of the electric and thermal properties of spark plasma sintered thermoelectric material. The crystal structure, microstructure, electric and thermal properties of the sintered body were evaluated by measuring XRD, SEM, electric resistivity, Hall effect and thermal conductivity. The sintered body showed anisotropic crystal structure. The c-axis of the crystal aligned in a parallel direction with applied pressure during spark plasma sintering. The degree of the crystal alignment increased with increasing sintering temperature and sintering time. The electric resistivity and thermal conductivity of the sintered body showed anisotropic characteristics result from crystal alignment.

Effect of Cu and powder mixing with Cu-free (Nd, Dy)-Fe-B jet-milled powder on the magnetic properties of sintered magnets was investigated. The coercivity of a magnet prepared from the Cu-free (Nd, Dy)-Fe-B powder was about 10 kOe even though the alloy powder already contained some Dy (3.5 wt%). When small copper powder was blended, however, the coercivity of the magnet increased almost 100%, exhibiting about 20 kOe. On the contrary, the coercivity enhancement was moderate, about 4 kOe, when dysprosium content in the sintered magnet was simply increased to 4.9 wt% by the addition of small 3 powder.

A Li2O-2SiO2 (LS2) glass was investigated as a lithium-ion conducting oxide glass, which is applicable to a fast ionic conductor even at low temperature due to its high mechanical strength and chemical stability. The Li2O-2SiO2 glass is likely to be broken into small pieces when quenched; thus, it is difficult to fabricate a specifically sized sample. The production of properly sized glass samples is necessary for device applications. In this study, we applied spark plasma sintering (SPS) to fabricate LS2 glass samples which have a particular size as well as high transparency. The sintered samples, 15mmφ×2mmT in size, (LS2-s) were produced by SPS between 480˚C and 500˚C at 45MPa for 3~5mim, after which the thermal and dielectric properties of the LS2-s samples were compared with those of quenched glass (LS2-q) samples. Thermal behavior, crystalline structure, and electrical conductivity of both samples were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and an impedance/gain-phase analyzer, respectively. The results showed that the LS2-s had an amorphous structure, like the LS2-q sample, and that both samples took on the lithium disilicate structure after the heat treatment at 800˚C. We observed similar dielectric peaks in both of the samples between room temperature and 700˚C. The DC activation energies of the LS2-q and LS2-s samples were 0.48±0.05eV and 0.66±0.04eV, while the AC activation energies were 0.48±0.05eV and 0.68±0.04eV, respectively.

This study has been performed on the full density sintering of Fe nanopowder and the surface hardening by plasma ion nitriding. The Fe sintered part was fabricated by pressureless sintering of the Fe nanopowder at in which the nanopowder agglomerates were controlled to have 0.5-5 sized agglomerates with 150 nm Fe nanopowders. The green compact with 46% theoretical density(T.D.) showed a homogeneous microstructure with fine pores below 1 . After sintering, the powder compact underwent full densification process with above 98%T.D. and uniform nanoscale microstructure. This enhanced sintering is thought to be basically due to the homogeneous microstructure in the green compact in which the large pores are removed by wet-milling. Plasma ion nitriding of the sintered part resulted in the formation of '- equilibrium phase with about 12 thickness, leading to the surface hardening of the sintered Fe part. The surface hardness was remarkably increased from 176 for the matrix to 365 .