A method has been developed to identify low levels of strain mismatch present in bodies in the green state. High-aspectratio beams of alumina were slip cast at 35-50 vol% solids over a range of poly(acrylic acid) concentrations. After sintering in an unconstrained manner, the beams deform into an arc. The magnitude and direction of curvature was observed to depend on both the solids loading and the concentration of polyelectrolyte. Model calculations indicate that strain mismatch within the beams of 1%, which corresponds to green density variations of up to 2.5%, would account for the observed degree of bending. The direction of bending was rationalized in terms of the competing effects of cake compressibility and particle velocity.

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