ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the formation of alloys and composites by spark plasma sintering (SPS) of foils and powder mixtures of reactive metals. The processing of stacks of foils by SPS is of fundamental and practical interest. The phenomenon of an enhanced product growth rate under a passing electric current for metallic systems is discussed. The methodological considerations concerning the design of experiments aimed to elucidate the “electric current effects” are given. The in-situ synthesis of intermetallics at the interfaces between the foils of reactive metals during SPS allows producing composites with a laminated structure. The possibilities of the synthesis of bulk materials from reaction mixtures of metals by SPS are presented. Binary reaction mixtures, multi-component alloys, and composites are considered. Structural features of the sintered materials attributable to the specific conditions realized in the SPS process are discussed. Future research directions in this area are proposed.
