Kissinger-Style Kinetic Analysis for Sintering Dilatometry Data

Abstract

Abstract The kinetics of densification during sintering are often analyzed by techniques such as the master sintering curve and Wang–Raj analysis to determine activation energies. These methods, while versatile, do not always form a complete picture or isolate individual processes that occur during sintering. This report develops a densification rate peak method for determining activation energies analogous to the traditional Kissinger analysis for chemical reactions. The difference between using the present analysis and the traditional Kissinger analysis is explored and evaluated for a range of theoretical examples. Finally, three previous sintering reports are re-examined with the new analysis: ThO2-4 pct UO2, Gd and Bi co-doped ceria, and mechanically alloyed W-Cu. The results obtained using the Kissinger-style analysis are in line with MSC and WR analysis where appropriate, and expand the information obtained from densification rate data beyond that of the original reports in some cases.