Rapid Fabrication of Antimony-Impregnated Graphite Composites via Spark Plasma Sintering

In this study, a novel process for fabricating carbon composites saturated with molten metals was introduced and investigated.Using a spark plasma sintering (SPS) device, molten antimony was successfully impregnated into a cylindrical graphitesample. Mechanical pressure within the mold and suction caused by vacuum facilitated the rapid impregnation of antimonyinto the graphite pores. The results showed that the density, porosity percentage, and bending strength of the graphite beforeimpregnation were ۱.۶۸ g/cm³, ۲۱.۱%, and ۲۱ MPa, respectively. After impregnation with antimony, these values improvedto ۲.۱۲ g/cm³, ۱۴%, and ۳۳ MPa. A notable observation was the complete filling of fine pores in the graphite, while somelarger pores remained unfilled. This phenomenon can be attributed to the relationship between capillary force and porediameter, where smaller pores are more easily filled due to higher capillary forces. In this project, the impregnation depth ofantimony reached a remarkable ۳ cm in just ۹ minutes. Additionally, by analyzing punch displacement data, the precise timingof initial powder melting, impregnation into graphite pores, and process completion could be determined. The punchdisplacement halted at two stages: the first stop indicated complete powder sintering, and the second confirmed the completionof molten metal impregnation. The key advantages of this method are its high speed and significant impregnation depth.

کلیدواژه ها:

Graphite Composite ، Antimony ، Molten Metal Impregnation ، Porosity ، Capillary Action ، SPS