Assessment of consolidation of oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steels by spark plasma sintering: from laboratory scale to industrial products

Abstract

Oxide dispersion strengthened steels are new generation alloys that are usually processed by hot isostatic pressing (HIP). In this study, spark plasma sintering (SPS) was studied as an alternative consolidation technique. The influence of the processing parameters on the microstructure was quantified. The homogeneity of the SPSed materials was characterised by electron microprobe and microhardness. A combination of limited grain growth and minimised porosity can be achieved on semi-industrial compact. Excellent tensile properties were obtained compared to the literature.

Keywords:

• ODS steels
• Spark plasma sintering
• Electron microprobe analysis
• Hardness
• Tensile strength

Acknowledgement

Florian Mercier and Guillaume Bonnefont are acknowledged for their contribution in the consolidation by Spark Plasma Sintering at MATEIS laboratory (INSA Lyon). This work was partly supported by the European community within the FP7 project MATTER. This study was made in the frame of a tripartite agreement between the CEA, AREVA NP and EDF.