• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.214-222
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• 2017

In this study, the effects of internal heat treatment associated sintering temperatures were simulated by the Finite Element Method (FEM). The sintering mechanism of pulsed current activated sintering process (PCAS) is still unclear because of some unexplainable heat transfer phenomena in coupled multi-physical fields, as well as the difficulty in measuring the interior temperatures of metal powder. We have carried out simulation study to find out thermal distributions between graphite mold and Ruthenium powder prior to PCAS process. For PCAS process, heating rate was maintained at $100^{\circ}C/min$ the simulation indicates that the sintering temperature range was between $1000^{\circ}C$ to $1300^{\circ}C$ under 60 MPa. The heat transfer inside the Ruthenium sintered-body sample was modelled through the whole process in order to predict the minimum interior temperature. Thermal simulation shows that the interior temperature gradient decreased by graphite punch length and calculation results well agreed with the PCAS field test results.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.672-677
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• 2020

Expensive PCBN or ceramic cutting tools are used for the processing of difficult-to-cut materials such as Ti and Ni alloy materials. These tools have a problem of breaking easily due to their high hardness but low fracture toughness. To solve this problem, cutting tools that form various coating layers are used in low-cost WC-Co hard material tools, and researches on various tool materials are being conducted. In this study, WC-5, 10, and 15 wt%Ni hard materials for difficult-to-cut cutting materials are densified using horizontal ball milled WC-Ni powders and pulsed current activated sintering method (PCAS method). Each PCASed WC-Ni hard materials are almost completely dense, with a relative density of up to 99.7 ~ 99.9 %, after the simultaneous application of pressure of 60 MPa and electric current for 2 min; process involves almost no change in the grain size. The average grain sizes of WC and Ni for WC-5, 10, and 15 wt%Ni hard materials are about 1.09 ~ 1.29 and 0.31 ~ 0.51 µm, respectively. Vickers hardness and fracture toughness of WC-5, 10, and 15 wt%Ni hard materials are about 1,923 ~ 1,788 kg/mm2 and 13.2 ~ 14.3 MPa.m1/2, respectively. Microstructure and phase analyses of PCASed WC-Ni hard materials are performed.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2016

Cu-Mn compacts are fabricated by the pulsed current activated sintering method (PCAS) for sputtering target application. For fabricating the compacts, optimized sintering conditions such as the temperature, pulse ratio, pressure, and heating rate are controlled during the sintering process. The final sintering temperature and heating rate required to fabricate the target materials having high density are $700^{\circ}C$ and $80^{\circ}C/min$, respectively. The heating directly progresses up to $700^{\circ}C$ with a 3 min holding time. The sputtering target materials having high relative density of 100% are fabricated by employing a uniaxial pressure of 60 MPa and a sintering temperature of $700^{\circ}C$ without any significant change in the grain size. Also, the shrinkage displacement of the Cu-Mn target materials considerably increases with an increase in the pressure at sintering temperatures up to $700^{\circ}C$.

• Proceedings of the Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute Conference
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• 2006.09a
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• pp.272-273
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• 2006

A new process of pulsed electric current sintering was developed. It combines compaction with activated sintering effectively and can manufacture bulky nano-crystalline materials very quickly. A nano-structured steel is obtained with high relative density and hardness by this process. The average grain size of iron matrix is 58nm and the carbide particulate size is less than 100 nm. The densification temperature of ball-milled powders is approximately $200^{\circ}C$ lower than that of blended powders. When the sintering temperature increases, the density of as-sintered specimen increases but the hardness of as-sintered specimen first increases and then decreases.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.49 no.7
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• pp.565-569
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• 2011

Nanopowders of MgO, $Al_2O_3$ and $SiO_2$ were made by high-energy ball milling. The fast sintering of nanostructured $Al_2O_3-MgSiO_3-SiO_2$ composites was investigated from mechanically activated powders of MgO, $Al_2O_3$ and $SiO_2$ by a pulsed-current activated sintering process. Nanocrystalline materials have received much attention as advanced engineering materials with improved physical and mechanical properties; in particular greater strength, hardness, excellent ductility and toughness. Highly dense nanostructured $Al_2O_3- MgSiO_3-SiO_2$ composites were produced with simultaneous application of 80 MPa and pulsed output current of 2800A within 2 minutes. The sintering behavior, grain size and mechanical properties of $Al_2O_3-MgSiO_3-SiO_2$ composites were investigated.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.528-532
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• 2022

Recently, the necessity of designing and applying tool materials that perform machining of difficult-to-cut materials in a cryogenic treatment where demand is increasing. The objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of cryogenically treated WC-5 wt% NbC hard materials fabricated by a pulsed current activated sintering process. The densely consolidated specimens are cryogenically exposed to liquid nitrogen for 6, 12, and 24 h. All cryogenically treated samples exhibit compressive stress in the sintered body compared with the untreated sample. Furthermore, a change in the lattice constant leads to compressive stress in the specimens, which improves their mechanical performance. The cryogenically treated samples exhibit significant improvement in mechanical properties, with a 10.5 % increase in Vickers hardness and a 60 % decrease in the rupture strength compared with the untreated samples. However, deep cryogenic treatment of over 24 h deteriorates the mechanical properties indicating that excessive treatment causes tensile stress in the specimens. Therefore, the cryogenic treatment time should be controlled precisely to obtain mechanically enhanced hard materials.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.449-454
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• 2012

Nanopowder of FeAl and $Al_2O_3$ was synthesized from FeO and Al powders by high energy ball milling. Using the pulsed current activated sintering method, the nanocystalline $Al_2O_3$ reinforced FeAl composite was consolidated within two minutes from mechanically synthesized powders. The advantage of this process is that it allows very quick densification to near theoretical density and prohibits grain growth in nanostuctured materials. The grain size, sintering behavior and hardness of sintered $FeAl-Al_2O_3$ composite were investigated.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.39-44
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• 2012

Nanopowders of TiCo were synthesized from Ti and Co by high energy ball milling. Highly dense nanostructured TiCo compounds were consolidated at low temperature by pulsed current activated sintering within 3 minutes from the mechanical synthesis of the powders (TiCo) and horizontal milled Ti+Co powders under 100 Mpa pressure. This process allows very quick densification to near theoretical density and prohibits grain growth in nanostructured materials. The grain sizes of the TiCo compounds were calculated. Finally, the average hardness values of the nanostructured TiCo compounds were investigated.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.620-624
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• 2013

Nanocrystalline materials have recently received significant attention in the area of advanced materials engineering due to their improved physical and mechanical properties. A solid-solution nanocrystalline powder, (Ti,Mo)C, was prepared via high-energy milling of Ti-Mo alloys with graphite. Using XRD data, the synthesis process was investigated in terms of the phase evolution. Rapid sintering of nanostuctured (Ti,Mo)C hard materials was performed using a pulsed current activated sintering process (PCAS). This process allows quick densification to near theoretical density and inhibits grain growth. A dense, nanostructured (Ti,Mo)C hard material with a relative density of up to 96 % was produced by simultaneous application of 80 MPa and a pulsed current for 2 min. The average grain size of the (Ti,Mo)C was lower than 150 nm. The hardness and fracture toughness of the dense (Ti,Mo)C produced by PCAS were also evaluated. The fracture toughness of the (Ti,Mo)C was higher than that of TiC.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.50 no.11
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• pp.817-822
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• 2012

Nano powders of $Al_2O_3$ and $TiO_2$ compounds made by high energy ball milling were pulsed current activated sintered for studying their sintering behaviors and mechanical properties. The advantage of this process is that it allows very quick densification to near theoretical density and inhibition of grain growth. Nano-structured $Al_2TiO_5$ with small amount of $Al_2O_3$ and$TiO_2$ was formed by sintering at $1300^{\circ}C$ for 5 minute, in which average grain size was about 96 nm. Hardness and fracture toughness of the nano-structured $Al_2TiO_5$ compound with a small amount of $Al_2O_3$ and$TiO_2$ were $602kg/mm^2$ and $2.6MPa{\cdot}m^{1/2}$, respectively.