Isothermal sintering of inorganic powders

Abstract

Results of a study of the isothermal sintering of specimens press-molded from powders of Ni, W, W + 0.5% Ni, zirconium, and niobium carbides of different dispersity and composition are reported. Rate parameters of the sintering process are calculated using the Ivensen phenomenological model. The activity of sintering is shown to be controlled not by the total amount of free energy stored in the powdered material, but rather dependent on the nanocrystalline structure of particles and processes that occur on the particle surface during sintering.