ABSTRACT
Systems which lack significant solubility of the solid in the liquid can be sintered to high densities by enhancing solid-state sintering in the presence of the liquid phase. The degree to which solid-state sintering contributes to overall densification depends on several factors including surface energies, solubilities, diffusivities, and particle sizes. Theoretical modeling is combined with experimental results to demonstrate the importance of these factors with respect to densification, microstructural evolution, and shape retention. The results are especially useful for the processing of thermal management materials such as W-Cu and Mo-Cu.
