Control of the Microstructure in Ceramics
Résumé
Ceramic materials are commonly fabricated by powder processing and a subsequent heat treatment, which results in the elimination of about 40 vol% of porosity during the sintering step. The densification occurs at high temperature allowing atom diffusion in the solid state or through a liquid phase but is always accompanied by grain growth occurring mainly during the last stage of densification. The type of sintering mechanism and processing technique used directly influence the microstructural development of the ceramic. This article gives an overview of the various sintering techniques and processing conditions which can be used to favor the densification and limit the grain growth phenomenon.