Title

Computer Simulation of Final-Stage Sintering: I, Model Kinetics, and Microstructure

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-1990

Publication Title

Journal of the American Ceramic Society

Abstract

A Monte Carlo model for simulating final-stage sintering has been developed. This model incorporates realistic microstructural features (grains and pores), variable surface difusivity, grain-boundary diffusivity, and grain-boundary mobility. A preliminary study of a periodic array of pores has shown that the simulation procedure accurately reproduces theoretically predicted sintering kinetics under the restricted set of assumptions. Studies on more realistic final-stage sintering microstructure show that the evolution observed in the simulation closely resembles microstructures of real sintered materials over a wide range of diffusivity, initial porosity, and initial pore sizes. Pore shrinkage, grain growth, pore breakaway, and reattachment have all been observed. The porosity decreases monotonically with sintering time and scales with the initial porosity and diffusivity along the grain boundary. Deviations from equilibrium pore shapes under slow surface diffusion or fast grain-boundary diffusion conditions yield slower than expected sintering rates.

Volume

73

Issue

10

First Page

2857

Last Page

2864

DOI

10.1111/j.1151-2916.1990.tb06686.x

ISSN

1551-2916

Comments

Presented at the 91st Annual Meeting of the American Ceramic Society, Indianapolis, IN, April 25, 1989 (Basic Science Division, Paper No. 62-B-89).

Supported by the University of Michigan (GNH and DJS) and the U.S. Department of Energy (BES), Grant No. DE-FG02-87ER 45302 (IWC).

Rights Statement

© 1990 by The American Ceramic Society

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