Modeling of supersolidus liquid phase sintering: I. Capillary force

Prealloyed powders subjected to supersolidus liquid phase sintering (SLPS) exhibit partial melting. A liquid phase forms along the grain boundaries, at the interparticle neck region, or on the particle surface. Densification involves an increase in the liquid volume fraction along with simultaneous coalescence of the particles. A two-particle model is developed that takes into account an increasing liquid content with coalescence, as well as a shape change of the merging particles (initially spher-ical). The variation in capillary force with processing parameters such as temperature and liquid volume fraction give improved predictions over prior models. The model predicts that the capillary force is affected strongly by the amount of liquid phase, wetting angle, and the shape of the coa-lescing particles.