Abstract

SPS(Spark Plasma Sintering ) is known to be an excellent sintering method for porous materials. In the present work an attempt has been made of fabricating porous 316L Stainless steel with good mechanical properties by using controlled SPS process Porosity was 21%~53% at sintering temperature of 600°C~1000°C The limit of porosity with available mechanical strength was 30% at given experimental conditions. Porosity can be controlled by manipulating the intial height of the compact by means of the supporter and punch length. The applied pressure can be exerted entirely upon the supporter, giving no influence on the specimen. The specimen is then able to be sintered pressurelessly. In this case porosity could be controlled from 38 to 45% with good mechanical strength at sintering temperature of 900°C. As the holding time increased, neck between the particles grew progressively, but shrinkage of the specimen did not occur, implying that the porosity remained constant during the whole sintering process.

• Keywords: Spark Plasma Sintering;Porous stainless steel;controlled porosity;