Capacitive voltage effect at a resistive sintering system container and its electrical model

Abstract The electric current activated/assisted sintering (ECAS) method enables various kinds of materials to be produced much faster and environmentally friendly compared to conventional sample production systems. The main handicap of this system is that the heating regime varies according to the material type even the chemical composition of the same type of material and causes partial melting due to the sudden current flow. Previously, the ECAS output equivalent circuit is modeled as a temperature-dependent resistor in the literature. This study shows that it is insufficient to model the ECAS output consisting of a container and two stiffs as a resistor considering experimental waveforms. We report the discovery of a capacitive effect at the output of the ECAS system that has not been reported before. We have given an equivalent electrical circuit for the ECAS system output and examined the effect’s temperature dependence. The circuit model, which consists of a parallel resistor-capacitor ( R p -C) circuit in series with another resistor ( R s ), is suggested for the container and the stiffs. By using the experimental data, the equivalent circuit parameters are calculated by curve-fitting. The temperature dependence of the equivalent circuit parameters is also examined. Possible explanations for the capacitive effect are given. Such a model and further examining the effect may help design better ECAS systems.