Simulation of liquid phase sintering using the Monte Carlo method

The use of the dihedral angle as the unique parameter to model liquid phase sintering does not provide good results. In fact, micrographs of sintered materials do not show a constant wetting angle. This phenomenon is driven by solidification-precipitation of particles in the matrix. This effect is controlled by phase diagrams and by surface energies. This paper proposes a model, based on Monte Carlo methods, to simulate liquid phase sintering processes. The main variables used in the model are the concentration of solute in the matrix, the diffusion of this solute and the surface energy. The discretisation of the microstructure has to be fine enough to show the thin layers of matrix that appear between solid particles. The effect of surface energies is accounted for using the 18 closest neighbours. The volume fractions obtained with the proposed model match analytical results. The simulated microstructures show the same morphology as real liquid phase sintered materials.