About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Advancing the Frontier of Powder Materials Processing and Sintering: A MPMD/EPD Symposium in Honor of Eugene Olevsky
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| Presentation Title |
Sintering Beyond Traditional Limits: Achieving Full Density with Minimal Grain Growth |
| Author(s) |
Andrii Maksymenko, Thomas Grippi, Eugene Olevsky |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Andrii Maksymenko |
| Abstract Scope |
Achieving full density with minimal grain growth remains a fundamental, unsolved problem in solid-state sintering. Grain coarsening during sintering reduces densification efficiency by increasing diffusion distances, whereas preserving a fine-grained microstructure enhances densification rates and improves final material properties. Since densification and grain growth are driven by different mechanisms with distinct activation energies, thermal profiles can be strategically designed to decouple their effects. This work presents a theoretical framework for optimizing heating and cooling regimes based on analytical approximations of sintering kinetics. Nano-zirconia is employed as a model material system. Experimental results using controlled ultra-fast heating and cooling validate the theoretical predictions and demonstrate the possibility of achieving near-theoretical density with suppressed grain growth. These findings underscore the importance of nontraditional thermal cycles in overcoming the trade-off between densification and coarsening, marking a significant step toward the fundamental optimization of sintering processes for advanced material fabrication. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Ceramics, Computational Materials Science & Engineering, Modeling and Simulation |