Modeling of the primary rearrangement stage of liquid phase sintering

The dimensional variations during the rearrangement stage of liquid phase sintering could have a detrimental effect on the dimensional tolerances of the sintered product. A numerical approach to model the liquid phase penetration into interparticle boundaries and the accompanied dimensional variations during the primary rearrangement stage of liquid phase sintering is presented. The coupled system of the Cahn-Hilliard and the Navier-Stokes equations is used to model the penetration of the liquid phase, whereas the rearrangement of the solid particles due to capillary forces is modeled using the equilibrium equation for a linear elastic material. The simulations are performed using realistic physical properties of the phases involved and the effect of green density, wettability and amount of liquid phase is also incorporated in the model. In the first step, the kinetics of the liquid phase penetration and the rearrangement of solid particles connected by a liquid bridge is modeled. The predicted and the calculated (analytical) results are compared in order to validate the numerical model. The numerical model is then extended to simulate the dimensional changes during primary rearrangement stage and a qualitative match with the published experimental data is achieved.