| Grant number: | 16/13256-1 |
| Support type: | Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate |
| Effective date (Start): | October 01, 2016 |
| Effective date (End): | August 31, 2019 |
| Field of knowledge: | Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials |
| Principal Investigator: | Eliria Maria de Jesus Agnolon Pallone |
| Grantee: | Christiane Lago Ojaimi |
| Home Institution: | Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil |
Abstract Sintering is one of the most important processing steps of a ceramic body. It is always a challenge to achieve a dense material with grain size in the submicrometer or nanometer scale, whereas the densification and grain growth occur simultaneously. Thus, the research related to sintering is constantly improving, and methods that employ the use of an electric field during sintering, known as field assisted sintering techniques, have been widely studied. Among these techniques, there is the flash sintering, where a specimen is placed in direct contact with two electrodes, and through them an electric field is applied while the material is heated in a conventional furnace. The densification occurs quickly and in a short time at a lower temperature, compared to the conventional sintering temperature used. The explanation for this phenomenon is still much debated, because it still seeks understanding for this promising event. In this context, the main objective of this project is to study the conventional sintering process steps and a new field assisted sintering technique, known as flash sintering, on a zirconia/alumina composite. From the physical and microstructural characterization of different compositions and conditions to be studied, we seek to understand the mechanism involved in the flash sintering process and conventional sintering in steps. | |