Advances in Modeling of Microwave Sintering

When traditional sintering techniques are used it is difficult to obtain dense materials with nanometric or submicrometric grain sizes. Microwave sintering was proposed as an alternative technique to overcome the problems of conventional fast heating. However, various problems usually occur when ceramics are sintered by direct microwave heating [1]. Hybrid heating techniques, which combine direct microwave heating with infrared heat sources were proposed [2]. Microwave sintering of microand nanoalumina powders mixed together was studied in a recent past, in the frame of a cooperation between the Universities of Krasnoyarsk and ToulouseINP. Toulouse worked with Pechiney powders and Krasnoyarsk with homemade powders by explosion in a bomb. The aim was to obtain pills as dense as possible. To aid in understanding the process of microwave sintering, we created a 3D model corresponding to the experiment performed.