Spark plasma sintering of a commercially available granulated zirconia powder: I. Sintering path and hypotheses about the mechanism(s) controlling densification

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) of a commercially available granulated zirconia powder has been investigated. The relative density/ grain size trajectory, or sintering path, has been established for a constant heating rate (50 degrees C/min) and a constant applied pressure (100 MPa). In addition, an attempt has been made to identify the mechanism(s) that could be invoked for the control of densification during the SPS experiments. (C) 2007 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.