Stress analysis of the field-assisted sintering: Electrothermal mechanical interaction

The field-assisted sintering techniques have the potential to produce bulk nanostructured materials from micron and submicron particles. Using the perturbation theory, the electrothermal, elastic deformation of a consolidated material has been analyzed. The material carries a uniform, axial electric current. Explicit expression of the temperature and stress fields has been obtained to the first order of approximation. The maximum temperature difference is proportional to the electric energy input to the material, and the average pressure applied to the pressing die is a nonlinear function of the electric current.