Abstract
The sintering behaviors of three typical Fe-Cu, Ni-Ag, and Fe-Ag systems that are different in wetting characteristics have been studied. The isothermal shrinkage curves are divided into three stages on the log-log plot in every system. The first and the third stage of shrinkage can be represented by straight lines, whereas the slope of the second stage decreases gradually to that of the final stage. In the first stage relatively large voids were formed by the viscous flow of the liquid. The shrinkage in the second stage occurs by the penetration of liquid into the voids and the diffusion of gases through liquid, and in the final stage by the diffusion of gases from the voids isolated in the solid skelton.
