Abstract
Cryomilled nanocrystalline CP-Ti powders were spark plasma sintered (SPS) using varied process parameters (i.e., heating rate, temperature, pressure, and dwell time) in order to study densification, microstructure, and mechanical behavior. Results were rationalized on the basis of the relevant literature and experimental results, and they reveal a strong dependence on SPS parameters. An interesting finding was that the measured high ductility was accompanied by a moderate strength (YS > 700 MPa, UTS > 840 MPa with elongation to failure values larger than 20%). The strain rate sensitivity of produced samples was also studied. The combinations of microstructure and mechanical response were attributed to the multi-step processing using various SPS parameters as well as to the presence of interstitial solutes introduced during cryomilling.