Improved Modeling Approaches for Constrained Sintering of Bi-Layered Porous Structures

Shape instabilities during constrained sintering experiment of bi-layer porous and dense cerium gadolinium oxide (CGO) structures have been analyzed. An analytical and a numerical model based on the continuum theory of sintering has been implemented to describe the evolution of bow and densification kinetics in the sintering processes that consists of iso-rate and isothermal phases. The significant influence of weight of the sample (gravity) on the evolution of bow, especially in the isothermal sintering phase, is taken in to account. The modeling predictions indicate good agreement with the results of sintering of a bi-layered cerium-gadolinium oxide system in terms of evolution of bow, porosity and thickness.