Investigation of Electrical Transitions in the First Steps of Spark Plasma Sintering: Effects of Pre-Oxidation and Mechanical Loading within Copper Granular Media.

Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) has become a conventional and promising sintering method for powder consolidation. This study aims to well understand the mechanisms of densification encountered during SPS treatments, especially in the early stages of sintering. The direct current (DC) electrical behavior of copper granular medium is characterized.

Enhancement of First Hydrogenation of TiVCr BCC Alloy by Cold Rolling and Ball Milling.

In this study, we evaluated the effects of a mechanical treatment by cold rolling (CR) and ball milling (BM) on the first hydrogenation of TiVCr alloy. The as-cast alloy has a body-centered cubic (BCC) crystal structure, and the first hydrogenation at room temperature under 20 bars of hydrogen is practically impossible. However, the samples mechanically activated by CR or BM readily absorbed hydrogen.