Effects of Applied Pressure on Densification During Sintering in the Presence of a Liquid Phase

Experimental measurements of the effects of an applied pressure on sintering of powdered materials containing a liquid phase indicate that the applied pressure can be effective by: ( a ) increasing the extent and rate of particle rearrangement, ( b ) increasing the rate of solution at particle contacts, and ( c ) causing plastic flow within the solid particles. Which of these processes predominates depends on the characteristics of each particular system and on the level of applied pressure.