Abstract
A real-time observation of the microstructure evolution of irregularly shaped silicon carbide powders during solid state sintering is realized by using synchrotron radiation computerized topography (SR-CT) technique. The process of sintering neck growth and material migration during sintering are clearly distinguished from 2D and 3D reconstructed images. The sintering neck size of the sample is presented for quantitative analysis of the sintering kinetics during solid state sintering. The neck size-time curve is obtained. Compared with traditional sintering theories, the neck growth exponent (7.87) obtained by SR-CT experiment is larger than that of the two-sphere model. Such condition is discussed and shown in terms of sintering neck growth, in which the sintering process slows down when the particle shape is irregular rather than spherical.
Highlights
Silicon carbide ceramic was the earliest forms of artificial abrasives because of its high mechanical strength
Researching the internal microstructure evolution of the sample during the sintering process is important because the microstructure of the material plays a decisive role in macroscopic properties [4,5,6]
Vertical section and 3D reconstructed images can be obtained by treating the cross-section images with t = 0 min t = 220 min t = 320 min t = 370 min t = 410 min t = 500 min
Summary
Silicon carbide ceramic was the earliest forms of artificial abrasives because of its high mechanical strength. Researching the internal microstructure evolution of the sample during the sintering process is important because the microstructure of the material plays a decisive role in macroscopic properties [4,5,6]. In the study of solid state sintering, the experimental study of microstructure evolution result has not yet attained a satisfactory level in comparison to theoretical work and numerical simulation. This situation may be attributed to the difficulty of observing the internal microstructure morphology of the sample during the heating process of the solid state sintering in real time. SEM can provide high resolution photos, this experimental method has eminent shortcomings: (1) cutting and polishing of the samples are bound to damage the original structure; (2) interruption of sintering process and dropping of temperature bring unpredictable impact to the microstructure
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