Sintering of ceramic powders: Determination of the densification and grain growth mechanisms from the "grain size/relative density" trajectory

Sintering in air was performed on pure slip cast a-alumina and yttria samples. The "grain size/relative density" trajectory, called "sintering path", has been established for both materials. With simple considerations, it is shown that it is possible to determine the mechanisms controlling grain growth and densification from the "sintering path" of alumina and yttria. Previous results, obtained when investigating sintering of pure or doped alumina, are re-analyzed using the formalism that has been developed. (C) 2007 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.