Effect of graphite die geometry on energy consumption during spark plasma sintering of zirconium diboride

Abstract

The present work aims to investigate the geometrical parameters of the graphite die on energy consumption needed for sintering of a ZrB2 sample. The Maxwell and electrical charge conservation equations are solved to obtain the electrical potential and current of the system. The governing equations are discretized by the Galerkin method and solved using the finite element method. The electric current distribution is obtained at each geometry and the temperature contours are obtained. The results showed that the height of die has a direct effect on power consumption. This can be attributed to the increased electric resistance and consequent increased Joule heating. On the other hand, increasing the die height resulted in more uniform temperature distribution through the sintered sample.