Development of master sintering curve for field-assisted sintering of HfB2–20SiC

Field assisted sintering (FAST) or spark plasma sintering (SPS) has emerged as a promising technology for densification of ultra high temperature ceramics like HfB2–20SiC at relatively low temperatures and shorter times. In the present study the concepts of master sintering curve (MSC) was applied to model the densification behavior of HfB2–20SiC during FAST process. An activation energy of 300 kJ/mol was estimated for field assisted sintering of HfB2–20SiC. The densification curves at various heating rates merged for activation energy of 300 kJ/mol confirming the applicability of MSC concepts to FAST process. The developed master sintering curves can be used to design sintering cycles and predict the densification of HfB2–20SiC during FAST process.