Multi-scale Modelling of Sintering

Sintering is a process in which powder compacts are fired and consolidated into strong solid. Almost all ceramic products are made by sintering. Accurately predicting the shrinkage and microstructure of sintered products is extremely useful to ceramic manufactures. However modelling sintering is one of the most challenging problems in material modelling. Sintering deformation is fundamentally linked to microstructural evolution and depends on very subtle changes in microstructure and chemistry, sometimes at the atomic level. Consequently, the ability of prediction by the current generation of sintering models (using the continuum finite element analysis for example) is poor. On the other hand, this challenge provides us with an ideal platform for integrating modelling techniques at the atomistic, particle and continuum levels. Bringing together multi-scale elements to create an integrated sintering model is the theme of this proposal. For the first time, the integrated model will be able to take chemical impurity, doping, particle/pore size distribution, agglomeration and anisotropy into consideration. The compaction-sintering interface will take compaction history into consideration. Together these will form the next generation of sintering models with much improved ability of prediction. We will however be integrating the models rather than developing a single computer code which is unrealistic at this stage. The integrated model represents a significant step forward in improving the predictive capability of sintering models. The techniques developed will also have a widespread and long-term influence on the materials engineering community.