Effect of spark plasma sintering temperature on phase evaluation and mechanical behaviour of Cu- 4wt% SiC composite

Abstract

Abstract Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is a novel approach to fabricate Cu- SiC composites which have a relatively broad range of potential uses in space applications. The Cu- 4wt% SiC composite with homogeneously dispersed SiC particles has been successfully synthesized at various SPS temperatures. In this study, the effect of SPS temperatures on the phase evaluation and mechanical characteristics of the Cu- 4wt% SiC composite was investigated. From the results, it was confirmed that the optimum sintering temperature for Cu- 4wt% SiC composite is 950 ℃. Raising the spark plasma sintering temperature from 850 ℃ to 950 ℃ led to a higher concentration of copper-liquid phase which accelerates the SiC particle rearrangement and fills the interstitial voids present in the interfaces of matrix and reinforcements which improves the mechanical properties of the Cu- 4wt% SiC composite. However, increasing the SPS temperature by more than 950 ℃ prone to the generation of the copper net and inhomogeneous SiC particle dispersion in the copper phases and declines the performance characteristics of the synthesized composite. The Cu- 20wt% SiC composite sintered at 950 ℃ exhibits superior mechanical characteristics than the composite sintered at 850 ℃, 900 ℃ and 1000 ℃.