Spark plasma sintering of CNT-NiAl nanocomposites - Process parameter, densification mechanism, and grain analysis

The densification process and grain analysis of consolidated NiAl-CNT composites at 1000 degrees C, and at varied heating rates from 50 degrees C/min to 150 degrees C/min was investigated. The results revealed the effect of heating rate on the densification behaviour of the samples. The displacement of the composites decreased from 3.39 mm to 2.63 mm with increasing heating rate, while the porosity increased by 69% at rapid heating rate. The grain analysis of the sintered samples through the electron backscattered (EBSD) technique indicates the evolution of bigger grains as the heating rate proceeds higher. Furthermore, the mean grain size of the consolidated composites increased from 3.93 mu m, to 8.05 mu m due to the concentration of defects. Interestingly, there was no texture or predominance of any color evolution in the sintered materials.