Spark Plasma Sintering of Metallic Glasses

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) of metallic glasses (MG) can be quite different from sintering crystalline metallic alloys. Indeed, MG behave differently with increasing temperature, as they encounter a glass transition and devitrification. Their shaping can thus be compared to what can be performed on thermoplastic polymers. SPS is a promising way to prepare bulk parts from amorphous powders, since it allows very fast heating and cooling rates. It gives an advantage to avoid or limit devitrification of the amorphous phase upon the thermal cycle. However, diffusion mechanisms, which generally control densification, are activated at temperatures that are not compatible with MG structural integr…