Differential scanning calorimetry of the stages of transient liquid phase sintering

Thermal analysis techniques using a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) have been developed to investigate the various stages of transient liquid-phase sintering (TLPS). It has been shown that DSC is capable of quantifying the extent of solid-state interdiffusion between the powder constituents prior to initial liquid formation. The technique has also been used to measure the kinetics of isothermal solidification of the transient liquid during the sintering process including the influence of base and additive powder size. A diffusion-based model capable of predicting the kinetics of isothermal solidification has been developed and its predictions indicate good agreement with the DSC results.