Description
Liquid phase sintering (LPS) is widely employed in the densification of high performance materials. The liquid enhances sintering, since it provides both a capillary force and transport medium to promote densification. Unfortunately, components fabricated by LPS are susceptible to gravity induced slumping and distortion, affecting the beneficial aspects of net shaping. The gravity induced distortion is exacerbated in the case of heavy alloys. This research focuses on tungsten alloys of different compositions to study the liquid phase sintering behavior. The initial and sintered dimensions were measured to quantify the amount of slumping. The samples are sectioned along the gravitational axis, mounted, and polished. The microstructures were examined using electron microscopy. This work is supported by NASA funded project Multi-Scale Modeling and Experimentation on LPS in Gravity and Microgravity Environments
