ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how the various material factors and techniques influence sintering and microstructural development. A variety of furnaces are available commercially to provide the heating schedule and atmosphere used in sintering. The particle size and particle packing of the green article are the most important factors in solid-state sintering of single-phase ceramics, but the particle size distribution, shape, and structure can also exert a strong influence. Pronounced differences are sometimes observed in the linear shrinkage along different directions of powder compacts during sintering. The simple heating schedules are isothermal sintering and constant heating rate sintering, often used in research experiments. The sintering atmosphere can often have a decisive effect on the ability to reach a target microstructure. Electrical resistance furnaces are typically used for the sintering of ceramics at the laboratory scale, while electrical resistance furnaces and gas-fired kilns are commonly used in industry.
