Spark-Plasma Sintering(SPS) is one of the new sintering methods which takes advantages both inconventional pressure sintering and electric current sintering. It is known that SPS is very effective for the densification of hard-to-sinter materials like refractory metals, intermetallic compounds, glass and ceramics without grain growth. However, a clear explanation for sintering mechanism and an experimental evidence for the formation of weak plasma during SPS are not given yet. In this study, fundamental study on sintering behavior and mechanism of SPS was investiged. For this study, various spherical Fe powders were prepared such as as-received, as-reduced, and as-oxidized and then sintered by SPS facility. In order to confirm the surface cleaning effect during SPS neck region and fracture surface of sintered body was observed and analyzed by SEM/EPMA. Densification behavior was analyzed from the data of deflection along the pressure axis. Some specimens were additionally produced by Hot Pressing and the results were compared with those of SPS.

fine powder was synthesized by hydrothermal process from the mixture of titania-hydroxide() and barium hexa-hydroxide () as starting materials. Fine powder(< 100 nm) was made under the reaction conditions of 18,10 atm, 1.5 hr in autoclave and showed cubic structure. The powders were sintered by a spark plasma sintering technique from 1050~115 for 5 min. The grains of sample sintered at 110 were about 0.9 in average size and showed the mixture of cubic and tetragonal structures.

In the present study, the effect of Ni content on densification and grain growth in Ni doped W compacts was investigated by using the dilatometric analysis. The Ni-doped W compacts with various amount of Ni activator from 0.02 to 0.4 wt％ were sintered in hydrogen atmosphere up to 140. As the amount of Ni and heating rates, the Ni-doped W compacts show a greatly different dilatometric behavior during the sintering. The sintered specimen was densified over 98％ of theoretical density by adding only 0.06 wt％ Wi in sub-micron W powder and the appropriate heating rate. It was also observed that the microstructure development strongly depended on the change of the Ni amount. In addition, it was found that the critical content of Ni showing large grain growth in microstructure was below 0.1 wt％.

Mechanically-alloyed NiAl powder and ball-milled (Ni+Al) powder mixture were sintered by spark-plasma sintering(SPS) process. Mechanical alloying was performed in a horizontal attritor for 20 h with rotation speed of 600 rpm. (Ni+Al) powder mixtures were prepared by ball milling for 1 and 10 h with 120 rpm. Both powders were sintered at for 5 min under torr vacuum with 50 MPa die pressure in a SPS facility. Sintered densities of 97% and 99% were obtained from mechanically-alloyed NiAl powder and (Ni+Al) powder mixture, respectively. The sintered compact of (Ni+Al) powder mixture showed large grain size by a very rapid grain growth, while the grain size of mechanically-alloyed NiAl powder compact after sintering was extremely fine(80 nm). The difference in densification behavior of both powders were discussed.

The simulated DUPIC fuel provides a convenient way to investigate fuel properties and behaviours such as thermal conductivity, thermal expansion, fission gas release, leaching and so on. Several pellets simulating the composition and microstructure of the DUPIC fuel were fabricated from resintering powder through the OREOX process of the simulated spent fuel pellets, which were prepared from the mixture of stable forms of constituent nuclides. This study describes the powder treatment, OREOX, compaction and sintering to fabricate simulated DUPIC fuel using the simulated spent fuel. The homogeneity of additives in the powder was observed after attrition milling. The microstructure of the simulated spent fuel was in agreement with the previous studies. The densities and the grain size of simulated DUPIC fuel was pellets are higher than those of simulated spent fuel pellets. Small metallic precipitates and oxide precipitates were observed on matrix grain boundaries.

스폰지 티타늄으로부터 수산호-탈수소화법(HDH)법으로 제조된 부말에 고상탈산법(DOSS)을 적용시켜 만든 산소 농도 범위 1980~8450 ppm, 입경 25μm 내외의 불규칙 티타늄 분말의 성형 및 소결성을 조사하였다. 250MPa의 가압력으로 냉간압축성형한 결과, 성형밀도는 69.0%~62.3% 범위 내에 있었고 산호함량 증가에 따라 직선 또는 완만하게 감소하였다. 이러한 경향은 티타늄 분말의 경도변화로 설명할 수 있었다. 최고 7%까지의 차이를 보였던 성형밀도에도 불구하고 1100˚C에서 2시간동안 소결한 결과, 산소함량에 무관하게 소결밀도는 90.5±0.5%를 보였으며, 결정립의 크기는60μm 내외의 균일하였고, 가공크기 및 분포도 유사하였다. 소결체의 경도에 미치는 산소의 영향은 실험범위 내에서 VHN(sintered)=135.5+64.3×(wt%O2)의 실험식을 얻었다. 소결체의 파단면 관찰한 결과, 연성에서 취성파괴로의 천이는 소결체에의 산소함량이 2987~5582ppm 사이에서 일어나는 것으로 나타났다.

실리카 바인더 함량이 지르콘 쉘 주형의 기계적 특성에 미치는 영향을 고찰하였다. 실리카 졸/지르콘 함량비 Rw는 0.18~0.43 범위에서 변화시켰으며, 주형의 소결온도는 871˚C~1400˚C 범위에서 변화시켰다. 생형의 상온강도는 실리카 졸/지르콘 함량비 Rw에 비례하여 증가하였다. 소결온도가 1300˚C 이하인 경우, Rw가 증가함에 따라 소결된 주형의 상온강도와 치밀화는 증가하였다. 그러나 Rw가 0.43이고 1400˚C에서 3시간 동안 소결시킨 경우 주형의 상온강도와 치밀화가 오히려 감소하였다. 이는 소결 중 내화물 입자와 실리카 바인더와 열팽창계수의 차이에 기인하는 것으로 판단된다. 정밀주조용 지르콘 쉘 주형 제작을 의한 최적의 Rw 값은 0.33인 것으로 나타났다.