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Volume 18
Issue 24
10.3390/ma18245652
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Influence of Spark Plasma Sintering Parameters on the Microstructure, Mechanical and Tribological Characteristics of Air-Milled Aluminum

by
Hanen Ammari
1,2,
Sophie Le Gallet
2,
Pierre-Henri Cornuault
3,
Frédéric Herbst
2,
Nicolas Geoffroy
2,
Mahmoud Chemingui
1,* and
Virgil Optasanu
2,*
1
Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry, LR 17-ES-07, University of Sfax, B.P. 1171, Sfax 3018, Tunisia
2
Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne—ICB UMR 6303 CNRS, Université Bourgogne Europe, B.P. 47870, F-21078 Dijon, France
3
Université Marie et Louis Pasteur, UFR ST, CNRS, Institut FEMTO-ST, F-25000 Besançon, France
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Materials 2025, 18(24), 5652; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18245652
Submission received: 28 October 2025 / Revised: 9 December 2025 / Accepted: 10 December 2025 / Published: 16 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Advanced Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology)
Versions Notes

Abstract

This work investigates the influence of spark plasma sintering (SPS) parameters on the microstructure and mechanical properties of consolidated aluminum powders processed by high-energy ball milling under an air atmosphere. Sintering was performed under vacuum at various temperatures ranging from 550 °C to 625 °C and under pressures between 50 and 100 MPa. The particle size, crystallite size, and microstructure of the powders and the consolidated pellets were analyzed using laser granulometry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Archimedes’ density measurements. Mechanical properties were evaluated via Vickers microhardness, nanoindentation, and tribological testing. For comparison, unmilled aluminum powders were also consolidated and characterized. After 46 h of milling, the aluminum crystallite size was reduced from 74 nm to 68 nm. The sample’s density increased with higher sintering temperature and pressure. The aluminum sintered at 600 °C and 100 MPa after 46 h of milling exhibited the highest microhardness (187.5 HV). Nanoindentation tests were conducted to characterize different microstructural regions formed after SPS, revealing two distinct zones: one hard and one soft. The tribology results revealed that the SPS-consolidated samples of milled powders exhibited a reduction of 50% in specific wear rate and a reduction of 20% in the coefficient of friction compared to the SPS-sintered samples of unmilled powders.
Keywords: aluminum; high-energy ball milling; spark plasma sintering; microstructure; tribology; mechanical properties aluminum; high-energy ball milling; spark plasma sintering; microstructure; tribology; mechanical properties

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ammari, H.; Le Gallet, S.; Cornuault, P.-H.; Herbst, F.; Geoffroy, N.; Chemingui, M.; Optasanu, V. Influence of Spark Plasma Sintering Parameters on the Microstructure, Mechanical and Tribological Characteristics of Air-Milled Aluminum. Materials 2025, 18, 5652. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18245652

AMA Style

Ammari H, Le Gallet S, Cornuault P-H, Herbst F, Geoffroy N, Chemingui M, Optasanu V. Influence of Spark Plasma Sintering Parameters on the Microstructure, Mechanical and Tribological Characteristics of Air-Milled Aluminum. Materials. 2025; 18(24):5652. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18245652

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ammari, Hanen, Sophie Le Gallet, Pierre-Henri Cornuault, Frédéric Herbst, Nicolas Geoffroy, Mahmoud Chemingui, and Virgil Optasanu. 2025. "Influence of Spark Plasma Sintering Parameters on the Microstructure, Mechanical and Tribological Characteristics of Air-Milled Aluminum" Materials 18, no. 24: 5652. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18245652

APA Style

Ammari, H., Le Gallet, S., Cornuault, P.-H., Herbst, F., Geoffroy, N., Chemingui, M., & Optasanu, V. (2025). Influence of Spark Plasma Sintering Parameters on the Microstructure, Mechanical and Tribological Characteristics of Air-Milled Aluminum. Materials, 18(24), 5652. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18245652

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