ABSTRACT
While powder consolidation and pressureless sintering dominate the production of many ceramic products, there are other densification and fabrication methods that are important. These include several fabrication methods that generally have broad applicability, or the potential for it, and those that are more specialized, such as fabrication of fibers or designed porosity. Though the division between these two areas is sometimes uncertain, those processes deemed falling more in the latter category are addressed in the following chapter. Those generally broader applicable processes addressed in this chapter include pressure sintering of powders via hot pressing or hot isostatic pressing, both of which are based on powder processing and use of compaction pressure during sintering, not just before sintering, and have considerable production use-especially hot pressing. There is also press forging of powder compacts, which has had some laboratory demonstration, and press forging of single crystals to polycrystalline bodies, which has had some production use. Another processing method that is also typically based on consolidation of powders, commonly, but not universally used for producing ceramic composites, is reaction processing of powder constituents with themselves or a gaseous media, or an added, or induced, liquid phase.
