Liquid-phase sintering grain shape accommodation

The content of the liquid phase plays a key role in determining whether there is grain-shape accommodation or not in a liquid-phase sintering. In a given system, there is a critical content of the liquid phase, below which grain-shape accommodation occurs, while above the grain-shape accommodation is absent. When the... 

Fig. 5.43 The three mechanisms of grain-shape accommodation and neck growth during solution reprecipitation controlled densification of liquid-phase sintering a contact flattening, b dissolution of small grains, and c solid-state bonding. Reproduced with permission from [73]. Copyright 2009, Springer...

Lee, D. D., Kang, S.-J. L. and Yoon, D. N., A direct observation of the grain shape accommodation during liquid phase sintering, Scripta Metall., 24, 927-30, 1990. 

Grain shape accommodation is clearly observed in the micrographs of Fig. 10.28 for the W(Ni) system containing 4 wt% Ni. However, many microstructures of materials produced by liquid-phase sintering also show rounded (spheroidal) grains. As an example. Fig. 10.29 shows the microstructure for the same W(Ni) system described in Fig. 10.28 but with a higher amount of liquid (14 wt% Ni). 

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