Zone-specific temperature distribution, densification trajectory and grain-growth kinetics of microwave-hybrid-sintered and conventionally sintered Al2O3 slip casts

Abstract

ABSTRACT A comparative study on the microwave hybrid sintering and conventional sintering of Al2O3 slip casts is reported to observe temperature distribution, grain-growth kinetics and densification in different regions of samples. It was found that the microwave hybrid sintering resulted in a significantly lower temperature difference between the surface and the center as compared to that in conventional sintering. Remarkably, in the microwave-hybrid-sintered samples, the estimated activation energy for grain growth at the center was approximately 27% lower than that at the surface in the conventionally sintered samples. The grain-growth rate in microwave hybrid sintering was more than three times higher at the sample center ((62.07 ± 0.06) × 10–21 m3/s) than at the sample surface in the conventional sintering ((18.75 ± 0.11) × 10–21 m3/s). The volume diffusion for grain growth was found to be the most effective mechanism in all samples, irrespective of the sintering technique and point of observation. It is suggested that the heat-flux, as well as the microwave effect and influence of surface charge due to the electric field of the field-assisted process were the reasons for these outcomes.