Abstract
Spark plasma sintering (SPS) was employed to join monolithic -SiC with or without titanium as intermediate joining material. Both the localizedand rapid heating contributed to the inherent energy saving of electric current assisted joining technique. The effects of uniaxial pressure and surfacepreparation were analyzed independently with respect to the flexural strength and the morphology of the joints. In particular samples polisheddown to 1 m and joined at 1900◦C for 5 min achieved the strength of the as received material. The failure occurred outside the joining interface,confirming the optimum quality of the joint. Pressure in combination with surface preparation was necessary to achieve perfect adhesion and porefree direct joining of SiC. The use of Ti foil as a joining material and pressure allowed joining of unpolished SiC.
