Author : Muhammet Fatih Toksoy
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 165 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (93 download)
Book Synopsis Densification of Rapid Carbothermal Synthesized and Commercial Boron Carbide by Spark Plasma Sintering by : Muhammet Fatih Toksoy
Download or read book Densification of Rapid Carbothermal Synthesized and Commercial Boron Carbide by Spark Plasma Sintering written by Muhammet Fatih Toksoy and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 165 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Boron carbide is a structural ceramic material with exceptionally good physical and chemical properties. Thus, boron carbide is proposed for applications in extreme conditions. However synthesizing and sintering of boron carbide is extremely difficult due to its high melting point and strong covalent bonding. Secondary phases, non-uniform composition, complex stoichiometry and powder morphology are problems in most commercial powders as a result of synthesis and powder preparation procedures. Achieving more than 90% TD is difficult due to strong covalent bonding structure and low plasticity of boron carbide. Very high sintering temperatures that approach the melting point are needed for densification. This dissertation seeks to establish an improved understanding on Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) behaviors of boron carbide and effects of powder properties on final products. Rapid carbothermal reduction (RCR) method was utilized to synthesize boron carbide powder. Submicron boron carbide powders with narrow particle size distribution were synthesized. Free carbon was significantly reduced and near B4C stoichiometry was achieved. Commercial boron carbide powders were also modified by processing in the RCR reactor. Free carbon was reduced to trace amounts; powder morphology and stoichiometry was modified. Commercial, synthesized and modified boron carbide powders were analyzed and characterized using X-Ray diffraction (XRD), electron microscopy, particle size analysis and chemical analyses. Synthesized boron carbide powder had smaller particle size, lower free carbon levels and increased concentration of twinning compared to commercial samples. Standard sintering procedure for boron carbide was established for SPS. Powders were sintered to different temperatures with various dwell times to analyze sintering behavior of boron carbide on SPS without any additives. Synthesized boron carbide powders reached +99% TD at lower temperature and shorter dwell times compared to commercial boron carbide samples. Highly dense materials were produced with limited grain growth. Dense samples were analyzed by XRD and electron microscopy. Knoop hardness tests were applied to dense boron carbide samples. Hardness results showed an improvement with RCR synthesized powders. Results were correlated and powder-sintering-final properties relations were established.