Aluminum magnesium boride (AlMgB_(14)) is a ternary ceramic alloy which retains unique physical and mechanical properties. Some of these properties include high hardness, low density, and excellent ware resistance. Conversely, consolidation of AlMgB_(14) compacts with high relative density by conventional powder forming processes like hot pressing require high sintering temperatures and pressures. In addition, higher processing temperatures often result in microstructural coarsening and deteriorate mechanical properties. As an alternate consolidation process, this study examines pulsed electric current sintering (PECS) technique with a focus on establishing baseline processing parameters required to produce dense compacts with uniform microstructure. Subsequently, elemental powders of Al-12%Mg-74.7%B (wt%) were homogeneously mixed in a resonant acoustic mixer and sintered using a PECS apparatus, at a temperature and pressure of 1600°C and 72.58 MPa.
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