About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T26: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Ceramics and Glasses for Nuclear Energy Applications
|
| Presentation Title |
Densification Mechanisms of Oxide Cermets Sintered by Spark Plasma Sintering for Nuclear Waste Form Application |
| Author(s) |
Nathaniel Marrero, S.K. Sundaram |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Nathaniel Marrero |
| Abstract Scope |
Ceramic-metal (cermet) composite materials are a key technology that aims at incorporating the best macroscopic properties of both metals and ceramics. This is especially useful for nuclear waste streams in incorporating high- and low-level wastes. Additionally, densification of the cermets at lower temperature saves energy and limits volatility of radionuclides incorporated into the waste form. However, the underlying mechanisms of the rapid densification that accompanies spark plasma sintering (SPS) is not well understood for composite materials especially for cermets, specifically, the zirconia (ZrO2) and stainless steel 316 (SS316) system. The starting materials were mixed in a 30:70 vol% of ceramic:metal ratio and sintered by SPS. Sintering temperature (900-1050°C), pressure (32-85MPa), and dwell time (0-30 min) were systematically varied to study and identify the dominant sintering mechanisms. |