Abstract
Predictions of the shrinkage behavior and the microstructural evolution of powder compacts during sintering are important to control the shape, size, and properties of sintered parts. Three kinds of numerical methods for simulating the sintering process at particle level are reviewed, and their characteristics are compared. First, a repeated unit cell model used in the finite element analysis for sintering is introduced. By analyzing the diffusional creep due to the surface tension, various kinds of information about powder particles such as the distributions of stresses and strain rates can be obtained. Secondly, phase-field modeling of microstructural evaluation in sintering process is presented for mesoscale simulation. Anisotropic abnormal grain growth at the later stage of sintering is demonstrated by considering the change in interfacial energy and mobility. Phase-field simulation of grain growth behavior in polycrystalline powder is also conducted. However, it is difficult to compute the sintering shrinkage in the phase-field approach by itself. Finally, a combined phase-field/discrete-element method is proposed to treat both grain boundary migration and sintering shrinkage, as a useful tool for mesoscale simulation.
