b'In situ probing ofExperimental characterization coupled with modeling and temperature, strain, andsimulations provide insight into strain variation of components phase change in sparkmanufacturing using electric field assisted sintering.plasma sintering T o support the upscale effort and commercialization of the electric field assisted sintering (also known as spark plasma sintering) manufacturing technique, this project focused on developing a better understanding of electric field assisted sintering process through a combination of characterization experiments at Brookhaven National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory as well as multiple modeling and simulation experiments using tools developed at INL. Multiple length scale investigations of electric field assisted sintering were PROJECT NUMBER:completed. At nanoscale, the team used the full field x-ray imaging capability at 21A1050-075FP Brookhaven National Laboratory to follow the sintering behavior of apatite ceramic materials. As the temperature increased, densification started with the formation of TOTAL APPROVED AMOUNT:contact necking between the particles and then switched to pore migration through $1,033,000 over 3 years the densified part. At microstructure particle scale, phase field modeling captured PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR:the evolution of pore structure at various time steps under an applied strong electric Tiankai Yao voltage. At engineering scale modeling, the team showed uneven distribution of electric voltage and potential temperature and strain variations during electric field CO-INVESTIGATORS: assisted sintering. Finally, the residual strain measurement using the high intensity Chuting Tan, INL diffractometer for residual stress analysis beamline at Oak Ridge National Laboratory Jorgen Rufner, INL revealed the large residual strains in the 12-inch disk shaped component sintered at Joshua Kane, INL INL using the Direct Current Sintering-800 system. The variation of residual strains Larry Aagesen, INL can lead to premature cracking of sintered components, underscoring the importance Lu Cai, INL of proper sintering parameters to mitigate the residual strain. This project established Stephanie Pitts, INL a method that allows deciphering the electric field assisted sintering process from Troy Holland, INL both experiments and simulations at different length scales to better understand and Jie Lian, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute use electric field assisted sintering. COLLABORATORS:Brookhaven National LaboratoryOak Ridge National Laboratory92'