Abstract
Powder injection molding and liquid phase sintering share common features with respect to the rheological response of the solid-liquid-pore system. Injection molding of powders dates from the 1930s, and liquid phase sintering of metallic powders dates from about that same time. Both processes share a strong sensitivity of viscosity to solid content and temperature, but there are differences. Accordingly, a model is introduced that includes factors as strain rate, grain size, solid content, and degree of grain bonding. In liquid phase sintering there is solid solubility in the liquid, which influences the time-dependent viscosity through grain bonding. Similarly, in powder injection molding the entanglement of long polymers leads to a time-dependent viscosity. Thus, both powder injection molding and liquid phase sintering show similarities that support a model for the rheological response useful in computer simulations.
