Sintering Under High Heating Rates

Abstract

Rapid sintering using a high heating rate is growing in technological and scientific interest. This is motivated by the promise of reducing the carbon footprint of sintering and developing materials with properties and microstructures different from those achievable by conventional heating. For instance, rapid heating can induce suppression of grain growth, the possibility of obtaining modified space charges and elemental segregations, and the development of out-of-equilibrium materials. Severe challenges still exist for the industrial exploitation of rapid sintering technologies, and, nowadays, only fast firing can be considered mature. Most of these limitations are related to the homogeneity of the sample and the possibility of obtaining complex shapes. This review investigates developments in rapid sintering by comparing different processes, suggested mechanisms, and future challenges.