Direct observation of sintering mechanics of a single grain boundary

A method to analyze the mechanics of sintering of a single grain boundary was developed by using specimens fabricated by focused ion beam micro-machining. The translational motion and rotation of particles in sintering are influenced by the grain boundary diffusion coefficient and grain boundary energy; both are dependent on crystallographic orientation. Three-dimensional computer simulation was used to analyze the shrinkage and rotation as a response to sintering force and torque, respectively. The model experiments on gold were compared with the simulation results to determine the depth of the cusps on the plot of grain boundary energy vs. misorientation angle, the grain boundary diffusion coefficients, and the surface diffusion coefficient.