The effect of sintering time on synthesis of plasma sintered beryllides

Beryllides are advanced neutron multipliers, and many research studies on their fabrication have been carried out. In this study, the effect of sintering time on synthesis of beryllides fabricated by plasma sintering was investigated. Stoichiometric mixtures of fine Be and Ti powders were sintered to more than 98% of their theoretical density value. From X-ray diffraction and electron probe microscopic analysis measurements, the formation of beryllides such as Be12Ti, Be17Ti2, and Be2Ti intermetallics was identified at 1273 K for sintering times from 5 to 90 min under 50 MPa pressure, starting from mixed powder particles of Be and Ti. Although there was a deviation of phase between the center and the edges in the disks, it was confirmed that with increasing time, the area fraction of Be12Ti, which is the compositional target for neutron multipliers, was increased about 96%.