A moving finite element method that calculates the transient temperature distribution, the density distribution and the stress distribution during the sintering cycle has been developed. Coupled two-dimensional axisymmetric energy, continuity and stress equilibrium equations along with a constraint, specifying the direction of the initial material velocity, are solved in a Lagrangian co-ordinate system. At every time step, the energy equation is solved, and the computed temperatures are then used to find the densification rate. The elastic stress equilibrium equations are then solved using the thermal and initial sintering strains as the driving forces. As a result, the final shape of the material and the stresses are determined.
