Spark plasma sintering of α/β-SiAlON ceramic end mill rods: Electro–thermal simulation, microstructure, mechanical properties, and machining performance

Fuzhou Guo; Zengbin Yin; Xuelin Li; Juntang Yuan

doi:10.26599/JAC.2023.9220786

Journal of Advanced Ceramics 2023, 12(9): 1777-1792 https://doi.org/10.26599/JAC.2023.9220786

Research Article |

Open Access | Issue | Published: 01 September 2023

Spark plasma sintering of α/β-SiAlON ceramic end mill rods: Electro–thermal simulation, microstructure, mechanical properties, and machining performance

Show Author's Information Hide Author's Information Fuzhou Guo^{^a^,^b}, Zengbin Yin^{^a^,^b}(

), Xuelin Li^{^c}, Juntang Yuan^{^a^,^b}

aSchool of Mechanical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China

bCollaborative Innovation Center of High-End Equipment Manufacturing Technology (Nanjing University of Science and Technology), Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Nanjing 210094, China

cNanjing Totem Tool Co., Ltd., Nanjing 211215, China

Keywords:

microstructure, spark plasma sintering (SPS), mechanical properties, orientation, α/β-SiAlON ceramics, electro–thermal simulation

Cite this article:

Guo F, Yin Z, Li X, et al. Spark plasma sintering of α/β-SiAlON ceramic end mill rods: Electro–thermal simulation, microstructure, mechanical properties, and machining performance. Journal of Advanced Ceramics, 2023, 12(9): 1777-1792. https://doi.org/10.26599/JAC.2023.9220786

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Abstract

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is a highly efficient method for the preparation of α/β-SiAlON ceramics. However, the rapid preparation of large-scale α/β-SiAlON ceramic components with reliable mechanical properties is difficult via SPS due to their near-insulating properties. In this study, high-performance α/β-SiAlON ceramic end mill rods with large aspect ratios were successfully prepared via SPS. Two different types of sintering processes (namely vertical-round-rod (VRR) and horizontal-square-rod (HSR) processes) were developed, and their effects on the phase composition, microstructure, mechanical properties, and machining performance of the α/β-SiAlON ceramic end mill rods were studied. The electric and temperature field distributions during sintering were studied through an electro–thermal simulation. The simulated and experimental temperature distributions are in good agreement. In contrast to VRR samples, HSR samples with a small axial size show a uniform temperature distribution and satisfactory microstructures within a certain range of dimensions as well as the expected phase composition; furthermore, elongated β-SiAlON grains are preferentially oriented in the direction perpendicular to the sintering pressure direction. As a result, the HSR samples exhibit better mechanical properties and machining performance than the VRR samples.

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Spark plasma sintering of α/β-SiAlON ceramic end mill rods: Electro–thermal simulation, microstructure, mechanical properties, and machining performance

Show Author's information Hide Author's Information Fuzhou Guo^{^a^,^b}, Zengbin Yin^{^a^,^b}(

), Xuelin Li^{^c}, Juntang Yuan^{^a^,^b}

aSchool of Mechanical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China

bCollaborative Innovation Center of High-End Equipment Manufacturing Technology (Nanjing University of Science and Technology), Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Nanjing 210094, China

cNanjing Totem Tool Co., Ltd., Nanjing 211215, China

Abstract

Keywords: microstructure, spark plasma sintering (SPS), mechanical properties, orientation, α/β-SiAlON ceramics, electro–thermal simulation

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Acknowledgements

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Publication history

Received: 04 May 2023

Revised: 04 July 2023

Accepted: 05 July 2023

Published: 01 September 2023

Issue date: September 2023

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52075266, 51875291) and Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (No. KYCX22_0402).

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