The Role of Grain and Phase Boundaries in Liquid Phase Sintering

Abstract

Abstract By optical and scanning electron microscopy two phenomena which influence the microstructure of liquid phase sintered materials were observed. Particle disintegration occurs when the liquid phase – probably by a dissolution reaction – attacks the grain boundaries of the solid particles. Particle coalescence is the rapid growth of one particle at the expense of a neighbouring particle by a solution‐diffusion through the liquid‐reprecipitation mechanism. Models linking both phenomena with densification are presented.