Effect of Electrical Field/Current on Sintering of Fully Stabilized Zirconia

To highlight the peculiarities of sintering under electric field, 8 mol% yttria‐stabilized zirconia (8YSZ) specimens were tested in a sinter‐forging apparatus equipped with laser scanners and power supply. This enables to monitor axial and radial shrinkage under controlled ac field with current limitation. Current flow results in expansion related to an increase of several hundreds of °C. This proves that the whole specimen experiences, due to Joule heating, significantly higher temperatures than its environment.