Evaluation of near-net shapes for Spark Plasma Sintering of AA7075

Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) is a powder metallurgy method that consolidates the powder materials by combining applied pressure and Joule heating. One of the forthcoming challenges facing SPS is the direct fabrication of... [ view full abstract ]

Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) is a powder metallurgy method that consolidates the powder materials by combining applied pressure and Joule heating. One of the forthcoming challenges facing SPS is the direct fabrication of near-net shape component, as oppose to the traditional puck-type samples that require significant machining. This presentation will highlight processing attempts for the fabrication of cylindrical, triangular and semi-conical aluminum alloy 7075 samples. Sintered density was assessed by Archimedes technique and optical microscopy. Mechanical properties were investigated by microhardness, shear punch and nano-impact indentation. Sintered densities of > 99 % were obtained for the different geometries. Mechanical testing did not show significant variation aside from edge regions for the semi-conical shapes. Guidelines for complex shape fabrication will be presented.