• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.135-142
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• 2018

In this study, we have fabricated n-type $Bi_2Te_{2.85}Se_{0.15}$ compounds by different processing routes such as crushing, milling and mixing respectively. Subsequently, the obtained powders were consolidated by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The phase crystallinity of bulk samples were identified using X-ray diffraction technique. Powder morphology and fracture surface of bulk samples were observed using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity values were significantly increased for the milling sample than crushing and mixing samples. As a result, the maximum power factor was obtained $2.4mW/mK^2$, which is thrice than that of crushing process. The maximum figure of merit (ZT) of 0.77 was achieved at 400 K for the milling sample. Furthermore, relatively high hardness and density values were noticed for the different processed samples.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.36-41
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• 2017

In this paper, $Si_3N_4/hBN$ ceramics with various hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) contents (0, 10, 20, or 30 wt%) were fabricated via spark plasma sintering (SPS) at $1500^{\circ}C$, 50MPa, and 10m holding time. The material properties such as the relative density, hardness, and fracture toughness were systematically evaluated according to the hBN content in the $Si_3N_4/hBN$ ceramics. The results show that relative density, hardness, and fracture toughness continuously decreased as the hBN content increased. In addition, peak-step drilling (with tool diameter $500{\mu}m$) was performed to observe the effects of hBN content in micro-hole shape and cutting force. A machined hole diameter of $510{\mu}m$ (entrance) and stable cutting force were obtained at 30 wt% hBN content. Consequently, $Si_3N_4/30wt%$ hBN ceramic is a feasible material upon which to apply semi-conductor components, and this study is very meaningful for determining correlations between material properties and machining performance.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.290-298
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• 2019

$TiO_2$-particles containing Co grains are fabricated via thermal hydrogenation and selective oxidation of TiCo alloy. For comparison, $TiO_2$-Co composite powders are prepared by two kinds of methods which were the mechanical carbonization and oxidation process, and the conventional mixing process. The microstructural characteristics of the prepared composites are analyzed by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scattering electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. In addition, the composite powders are sintered at $800^{\circ}C$ by spark plasma sintering. The flexural strength and fracture toughness of the sintered samples prepared by thermal hydrogenation and mechanical carbonization are found to be higher than those of the samples prepared by the conventional mixing process. Moreover, the microstructures of sintered samples prepared by thermal hydrogenation and mechanical carbonization processes are found to be similar. The difference in the mechanical properties of sintered samples prepared by thermal hydrogenation and mechanical carbonization processes is attributed to the different sizes of metallic Co particles in the samples.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.132-137
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• 2019

Tungsten carbide (WC) hard materials are used in various industries and possess a superior hardness compared to other hard materials. They have particularly high melting points, high strength, and abrasion resistance. Accordingly, tungsten carbide hard materials are used for wear-resistant tools, cutting tools, machining tools, and other tooling materials. In this study, the WC-5wt.%Co, Fe, Ni hard materials are densified using the horizontal ball milled WC-Co, WC-Fe, and WC-Ni powders by a spark plasma sintering process. The WC-5Co, WC-5Fe, and WC-5Ni hard materials are almost completely densified with a relative density of up to 99.6% after simultaneous application of a pressure of 60 MPa and an electric current for about 15 min without any significant change in the grain size. The average grain size of WC-5Co, WC-5Fe, and WC-5Ni that was produced through SPS was about 0.421, 0.779, and $0.429{\mu}m$, respectively. The hardness and fracture toughness of the dense WC-5Co, WC-5Fe, WC-5Ni hard materials were also investigated.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.470-477
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• 2023

The effects of annealing on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Si alloys fabricated by high-energy ball milling (HEBM) and spark plasma sintering (SPS) were investigated. The HEBM-free sintered alloy primarily contained Mg₂Si, Q-AlCuMgSi, and Si phases. Meanwhile, the HEBM-sintered alloy contains Mg-free Si and θ-Al₂Cu phases due to the formation of MgO, which causes Mg depletion in the Al matrix. Annealing without and with HEBM at 500℃ causes partial dissolution and coarsening of the Q-AlCuMgSi and Mg₂Si phases in the alloy and dissolution of the θ-Al₂Cu phase in the alloy, respectively. In both alloys, a thermally stable α-AlFeSi phase was formed after long-term heat treatment. The grain size of the sintered alloys with and without HEBM increased from 0.5 to 1.0 ㎛ and from 2.9 to 6.3 ㎛, respectively. The hardness of the sintered alloy increases after annealing for 1 h but decreases significantly after 24 h of annealing. Extending the annealing time to 168 h improved the hardness of the alloy without HEBM but had little effect on the alloy with HEBM. The relationship between the microstructural factors and the hardness of the sintered and annealed alloys is discussed.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.302-307
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• 2017

In this study, Fe-Cu-C alloy is sintered by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The sintering conditions are 60 MPa pressure with heating rates of 30, 60 and $9^{\circ}C/min$ to determine the influence of heating rate on the mechanical and microstructure properties of the sintered alloys. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the sintered Fe-Cu-C alloy is investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The temperature of shrinkage displacement is changed at $450^{\circ}C$ with heating rates 30, 60, and $90^{\circ}C/min$. The temperature of the shrinkage displacement is finished at $650^{\circ}C$ when heating rate $30^{\circ}C/min$, at $700^{\circ}C$ when heating rate $60^{\circ}C/min$ and at $800^{\circ}C$ when heating rate $90^{\circ}C/min$. For the sintered alloy at heating rates of 30, 60, and $90^{\circ}C/min$, the apparent porosity is calculated to be 3.7%, 5.2%, and 7.7%, respectively. The hardness of the sintered alloys is investigated using Rockwell hardness measurements. The objective of this study is to investigate the densification behavior, porosity, and mechanical properties of the sintered Fe-Cu-C alloys depending on the heating rate.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.353-358
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• 2013

To improve coating ability and the life of the coating, Ti based composite materials with hydroxyapatite(HA) should be developed. The raw materials of Ti-26wt%, Nb-1wt%, and Si with 10wt% HA were mixed for 24 h by a mixing machine and milled for 1 h to 6 h by planetary mechanical ball milling. Ti-26%Nb-1%Si-(10%HA) composites, composed of nontoxic elements, were fabricated successfully by spark plasma sintering(SPS) at $1000^{\circ}C$ under 70MPa. The relative density of the sintered Ti-Nb-Si-HA composites using the 24 h mixed powder, and the 6 h milled powder, was 91% and 97 %, respectively. The effects of HA contents and milling time on microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated by SEM and hardness tester, respectively. The Vickers hardness of the composites increased with increasing milling time and higher HA content. The Young's modulus of the sintered Ti-26%Nb-1%Si-10%HA composite using the 6 h-milled powder was 55.6 GPa, as obtained by compression test. Corrosion resistance of the Ti-26wt%Nb-1wt%Si composite was increased by milling and by the addition of 10wt%HA. Wear resistance was improved with increasing milling time. Biocompatibility of the Ti-Nb-Si alloys was improved by the addition of HA.

• Journal of Ceramic Processing Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.59-62
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• 2019

Y2O3-MgO nanocomposites are promising materials for hypersonic infrared windows and domes due to their excellent midIR transmittance and mechanical properties. In this work, influence of SPS heating rate on the microstructure, IR transmittance, and mechanical properties of Y2O3-MgO nanocomposites was investigated. It was found that the average grain size decreases with a decreasing heating rate, which can be attributed to high defect concentration by rapid heating and deformation during densification. Also, the residual porosity decreases with a decreasing heating rate, which is ascribed to the enhancement of grain boundary diffusion by a large grain-boundary area (a small grain size). Consequently, high transmittance and hardness were attained by the low heating rate. On the other hand, the mechanical strength showed little difference with the heating rate change, which is somewhat different from the general knowledge on ceramics and will be discussed in this letter.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.308-317
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• 2012

Reactive processing, such as reactive hot pressing (RHP) and reactive spark plasma sintering (R-SPS), is effective densification method to prepare $ZrB_2$-based ultra high temperature ceramics (UHTCs). The present paper reviewed some typical reactive processing of $ZrB_2$-based UHTCs. All the reactions from the starting materials in the reactive processing are thermodynamically favorable, which generate enough energy and driving force for the densification of the final products under a relatively low temperature. Besides, compared with non-reactive processing, anisotropic $ZrB_2$ grains, such as $ZrB_2$ platelets, can only be obtained in the reactive processing, resulting in an improvement of the mechanical properties.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.173-179
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• 2009

In the present study, Zr-base metallic glass(MG)/diamond composites are fabricated using a combination of gas-atomization and spark plasma sintering (SPS). The densification behaviors of mixtures of soft MG and hard diamond powders during consolidation process are investigated. The influence of mixture characteristics on the densification is discussed and several mechanism explaining the influence of diamond particles on consolidation behaviour are proposed. The experimental results show that consolidation is enhanced with increasing diamond/Metallic Glass(MG) size ratio, while the diamond fraction is fixed.