Simulation of the microstructural evolution during liquid phase sintering using a geometrical Monte Carlo model

Abstract

The present paper proposes a Monte Carlo model to simulate the evolution of the microstructure during liquid phase sintering. The model mainly assumes that the system temperature is constant and that the composition of the liquid phase is completely homogeneous, but it is also capable of simulating the final cooling stage of the sintering process. It works with solidification, or melting, probabilities of volume elements (voxels) that are obtained accounting for the local geometry via the closest surrounding neighbours and avoiding the use of thermodynamic probabilities. This method reproduces an isotropic behaviour during solidification and melting and gives growth and melt rates proportional to surface curvatures. The proposed model provides realistic simulations of the microstructural evolution that takes place in real materials during liquid phase sintering.