Simulation of the neck growth of non-isometric biosphere during initial sintering

Because powders are mostly non-isometric during the sintering process, copper powders were chosen to study the effects of four material transport mechanisms, including surface diffusion, grain-boundary diffusion, volume diffusion, and multi-couplings. These material transport mechanisms were studied with respect to sintering neck growth of a non-isometric biosphere during initial sintering. The evolution of the neck growth in the four transport mechanisms was simulated by Visual C++ as well based on the model of different particles. The results show that the increase of the sintering temperature, both the grain-boundary diffusion and volume diffusion play primary roles in neck growth, while surface diffusion gradually becomes the secondary mechanism. Both the sintered neck and the shrinkage of the two centers increase with increasing temperature by means of the coupling diffusion mechanism. The radius of the sintering neck decreased, and the shrinkage rate of the two centers increased with an increase of the diameter ratio of the two spheres.