Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 February 2011
Different ways of pulsed current use for compaction of conducting materials have been studied during recent years, mainly in connection with technological problems of powder metallurgy. As a rule, the current is driven through a blank placed in a mould under external pressure [1-6]. Pulsed current action on a blank may lead to either partial or complete melting of granules [1,2], to the heating of granules and their plasticity increase [3], to the destruction of oxide films and granules surface activation [4,5] and to the break-down and sintering of chains forming channels in the direction of current [6].