In-Situ EBSD Tensile Behaviors of Pressured Silver Sintered Structures

This study was carried out to investigate the exact fracture mechanism of nano-porous Ag sintered specimens according to the aging time with in-situ tensile EBSD test. Pressured Ag sintering tensile specimens were manufactured at 250 °C with 10 MPa. Tensile specimens were subjected to thermal loads at 250 °C up to maximum of 500 h. The initial porosity of the as-sintered specimen was below 5%, and in contrast, the porosity of thermally aged tensile specimens was similar regardless of aging time, 22~27%. In addition, the grain size of the sintered specimen is about 0.5 µm and the value of aged specimens is different, about 2.5 ~ 2.9 µm, Therefore, the mechanical behavior related to the microstructure and porosity of the sintered samples and aged specimens was quite different. In the case of as-sintered specimen, the fracture occurred within the elastic deformation region without plastic deformation. In contrast, the aged specimens exhibited plastic deformation behavior, which was attributed to micro-cracks that occurred by strain and slip band simultaneously. This study investigated in-situ tensile behaviors of pressured Ag sintered structures, and its crystallographic change up to reach the fracture.